Sakura's Rebirth
by Maileesaeya
Summary: Sakura, an elite assassin, bites off more than she can chew with the Rokudaime Hokage. However, he spares her life and has her trained as one of his elite ninja. And is the cold-hearted killer developing feelings for the Hokage? NarutoSakura NaruSakuNaru Currently undergoing near total rewrite/overhaul.
1. Chapter 1

**This came to me while I was playing Assassin's Creed the other day. The game got me thinking of various stuff in the Naruto-universe, and when it was coupled with the description for another fanfiction I came across, this became the end result. Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Unless I won a few lotteries, I'll never be able to accumulate enough wealth to buy it, either.  
**

* * *

Haruno Sakura slipped effortlessly into the tower of the Hokage, the secret ruler of Hi no Kuni.

Officially, each of the countries was ruled by a Daimyo. But the reality was that the strongest countries, the elemental lands of Hi no Kuni, Kaze no Kuni, Mizu no Kuni, Tsuchi no Kuni, and Kaminari no Kuni, were actually ruled by the five kages—the leaders of the hidden shinobi villages within the countries.

The villages were occupied and ruled by the shinobi clans. The only civilians allowed within the village were those belonging to a clan. Prospective shinobi from civilian clans were trained in an auxiliary academy, and if they were deemed to have potential, were taken to the village proper. Only shinobi were allowed to know the location of the village, so those who weren't yet shinobi were taken to or from there while unconscious and blindfolded.

Haruno Sakura was a civilian who had been failed in an auxiliary academy. Orphaned by the death of her parents, Sakura eventually grew up to become an assassin, a cold-blooded killer, honorless, ruthless, and effective. She was one of the best assassins in the world, and had even killed daimyo's without effort and without killing anyone else.

That said, she was disappointed. Despite how ruthlessly the shinobi guarded the location of their villages, she had been able to find Konohagakure no Sato, the most powerful shinobi village in the world. Their leader, the Hokage, was said to be the most powerful man/woman alive. And not only had she been able to slip into the village undetected, she had even managed to get into the Hokage tower undetected.

She'd expected more from the followers of Nindo.

Silently, Sakura pushed open the door of the Hokage's office, her poisoned dagger held at the ready. Now, at last, she could finish this. She hoped it wouldn't get out just who did this—she doubted she'd be so lucky, but she didn't want to be chased after as the world's greatest assassin, which, indeed, she would be when she killed this man.

The Hokage didn't even look up from his desk where he was finishing his paperwork for the day. Sakura studied him.

The man was young—much younger than she'd expected, no older than herself. He wore the traditional forehead protector of Konoha, had spiky blonde hair, and a black trenchcoat with flames rising from the bottom. Beneath that, he wore the vest of a Jōnin ninja—an elite. Beneath the sleeves of his treachcoat, Sakura could see metal bracers, similar to the ones she wore, likely concealing assassin blades. His face held gentle blue eyes and three whiskers marks adorning each cheek. That confirmed it.

Sakura had been told just why she'd been hired by some of the more bitter citizens of Fire Country to assassinate their leader: he was a Jinchūriki, a demon vessel. He was the host for the legendary Kyūbi no Yōko, the fox demon that had nearly destroyed Fire Country almost eighteen years ago. The Hokage's identifying feature was the whisker marks he'd received from the Kyūbi.

The man wasn't anything. He hadn't even sensed her presence. Pulling her wrist back, Sakura sent her knife flying silently through the air, straight for the man's neck.

A hand snapped up suddenly and caught the blade of the knife between the index finger and thumb. The Hokage idly glanced up at Sakura before setting the knife aside and going back to paperwork.

"I'll be with you in a moment, Haruno Sakura," said the Hokage, ignoring Sakura's gasp of shock. "I'd just like to finish this paperwork real quick."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. How dare this man speak to her like that! He knew who she was, but brushed her off like nothing?

Sakura unsheathed her dagger and darted forward, intent on ending this man's life. An arm snapped forth this time, catching Sakura's wrist as the Hokage stood, looking at Sakura, his brow furrowed in apparent confusion.

"I thought assassins had more patience," he said. "But, if you insist on finishing this now, then so be it."

With that said, the man launched a hand forward and hit Sakura in the stomach with an open palm, sending her flying back into the wall. Shakily, Sakura pulled herself back to her feet, her breathing a little heavy. That had been a heavy blow…

The Hokage calmly walked around his desk, his eyes still on Sakura.

"Did you really believe you were undetected?" asked the Hokage mildly. "I knew you were coming before you were anywhere near this village… tell me, did you not find it odd that you encountered no one in the streets, or that it was raining this time of year in Fire Country? Not that such things as that were necessary, but I wanted to see the famed Haruno Sakura." As Sakura glared at the man, he pulled a sheet of paper from within his coat and looked at it.

"Haruno Sakura," he said. "Commonly considered the best assassin in the world. Age eighteen, born March twenty-eighth. Orphaned at the age of six when her parents died in an accident. Entered Konohagakure no Sato civilian auxiliary academy, where she failed to make the cut of shinobi and was refused entry into the Konoha Academy. Afterwards, became a renowned assassin for the sake of survival. Known for killing her target without any additional casualties. Cold-hearted. Emotionless. Preferred tactic: throwing knife in the target's throat. Hair color, pink. Eye color, green. High profile assassinations: twenty-three. Latest target: Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato." The Hokage set the paper on his desk and returned his soft eyes to Sakura, who was gaping at him in shock.

"We're shinobi, not assassins, Haruno-san," he said. "We don't kill for profit, and we certainly don't kill without reasons and knowledge. All you know of me is that I am the leader of this village—certainly not enough to kill me. Are you honestly foolish enough to believe you can kill me?" Sakura's eyes narrowed and she pushed off from the wall, attempting once again to put her dagger in the Hokage's heart.

She passed straight through him.

"You've never faced a shinobi before, have you?" came the Hokage's voice from the door. "Even the weakest ninja knows how to perform a simple bunshin and kawarimi. That move might've worked on a Genin—but I'm no rookie." Sakura spun around and saw the Hokage looking at her in the way he might a child who'd failed to realize the obvious. "I must admit, I'm curious as to just why you'd be willing to throw your life away in attempt to kill me."

Sakura merely stared at the Hokage, her hand falling to the side in resignation. She'd finally bitten off more than she could chew. The Hokage looked at her.

"Ah, I see," he said. "You want to die—all of this, the assassin's life, the attempt on my life, _everything_, has been in attempt to get yourself killed." The Hokage vanished and Sakura suddenly felt an intense pain in her stomach. "Well, I'm afraid you're not going to die this day, Haruno-san," he said as he removed his hand from her stomach. Four masked shinobi suddenly appeared in the office. "Your life belongs to me now… and it's not one I'll be wasting pointlessly, the way you've tried to do." The Hokage nodded at the four masked shinobi as Sakura's world turned black.

* * *

Namikaze Naruto, Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, sighed lightly as his four ANBU left the office with the unconscious form of Sakura. He'd been expecting an assassin since he became Hokage. Though he'd won the approval of many of the people in Hi no Kuni, there were still some who hated him as the Kyūbi incarnate.

Naruto cast a passing glance at the remaining paperwork before forming a shadow clone to deal with the rest of it—his mother had been horrified when he used the shadow clone for the first time to get around the paperwork issue that all village leaders faced. She—and his grandfather figure—had been beating their head into the wall for not thinking of it themselves when they were in office.

The shadow clone finished the paperwork and released himself. Naruto sighed again as the information returned to him, and sat down in his chair. Closing his eyes, he flared his chakra in four quick bursts, calling Naruto's elites to his location.

An instant later, they all appeared, and Naruto, as always, looked each one up and down carefully.

Several of the elites were former members of the Akatsuki organization that had been gathering the Bijū—including the Kyūbi no Yōko—to use to reforge the world more peaceably. Naruto had succeeded in granting sanctuary to four members of the organization, due to their reasons for becoming nukenin and part of Akatsuki..

The elites leader was Uchiha Itachi, the last loyal member of the Uchiha clan. His loyalty to the village was second-to-none. Ten years before, he destroyed his entire clan to prevent their planned coup against the Sandaime Hokage, and had left the village as a criminal and murderer. He joined Akatsuki to sabotage the organization from within. Now, he was one of their best shinobi, the last loyal wielder of the Sharingan—well, before the birth of his son, Hiruzen (named for the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen).

The tactical and strategic leader of the elites was also the weakest, Nara Shikamaru. A longtime friend of Naruto's, Shikamaru was a genius—he was easily the smartest man in his clan—and in a clan where geniuses were fairly common, that was saying something..

The next member was Hoshigaki Kisame, Itachi's partner in Akatsuki. The former leader of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shū, Kisame had tried to assassinate the tyrant Sandaime Mizukage with the other swordsman, but failed and became a nukenin. He was now one of the strongest shinobi in Konoha.

The fourth member was Akasuna no Sasori, formerly of Konoha's ally, Sunagakure no Sato. He'd killed the Sandaime Kazekage in retribution for his actions as a tyrant and the death of Sasori's parents, though his actions meant that he really couldn't be brought back into Suna. He was a puppet master, capable of controlling a hundred puppets at once—a normally impossible feat, but Sasori had converted his own body into a living puppet.

The fifth of the elites was Deidara, a demolitions expert from Iwa. Like Sasori, he'd become a nukenin for assassination of the Sandaime Tsuchikage, though his reasons were to prevent the man from leading the village back into a meaningless war with Konoha.

The last of the elites were Naruto's teacher, Jiraiya of the Densetsu no Sannin, and Senju Tsunade, his adoptive mother, and medic of the Densetsu no Sannin. Though they were inactive members, they were also the strongest by far.

"Hokage-sama, what are your plans regarding Haruno-san?" asked Itachi stepping forward. Naruto sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk and putting his hands together (the same pose Tsunade sometimes assumes while giving out missions).

"I was thinking of training her," said Naruto honestly. The seven ninja looked at him like he was crazy. "She's been living for nothing all these years—so I'm going to give her a reason to live. Besides, we could always use another assassin, especially one who was able to find our village and get into my office. Admittedly, we gave her a little help along the way, but she is also currently untrained in the ninja arts." Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"And you truly believe she won't try and kill you?" she asked. Naruto shrugged.

"She may," said Naruto. "But I doubt it. Fact is, she can't kill me and she knows it. She's living for nothing, and even if she thought she could kill me, she's realized by now that she couldn't get out of here alive, and she has no family. Put simply, she has nothing to gain by attempting to kill me—and everything to lose."

The others nodded in agreement, though they all did so reluctantly. Their primary concern was his safety, so that was no surprise.

"Are you sure about this, Naruto?" asked Jiraiya. He was obviously still uncertain.

"I'm not invincible, ero-sennin," said Naruto. "I know that—but I believe the potential benefits far outweigh the risks. The chance of her turning on us is abysmally small anyway. I don't want to hear anything else, understood?"

Again, the elites nodded, reluctantly.

"Fine, have it your way," said Tsunade in obvious exasperation. "But if your wrong…" Tsunade's eyes narrowed. Naruto gave a small smile.

"Understood, mom."

* * *

Sakura groaned as she opened her eyes to see a white ceiling over her head. Sitting up, she glanced around and realized she was in some sort of hospital room… if hospital rooms had bars over the window, they would look like this.

"So, you're awake?" came a soft female voice suddenly. Sakura spun around and saw a black-haired woman seemingly fazing into existence. "That's good. It means I can deliver the requested message before the Hokage arrives."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "What message?" the assassin asked. The woman shrugged slightly.

"Well, it's not just me, but the members of the Hokage's elite shinobi," she said. She leaned forward, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Understand this. The Hokage is my brother—if you so much as scratch him, we'll hand you over to the Snake Mistress and her partner as their new playtoy." That said, the woman vanished.

Sakura shivered. Everybody knew the stories regarding the 'Snake Mistress' and her so-called partner-in-crime. Ten minutes with them was said to be a fate worse than death.

After several more minutes in which Sakura did not move, the door opened and the Hokage stepped in, his expression neutral as he studied Sakura.

"Well?" asked Sakura coldly. "What do you want with me?" The Hokage sighed.

"Like I said, I'm not gonna waste your life the way you've been," he said. "Like you, I was an orphan. I was hated by most of the people I met because I was a Jinchūriki—the only thing I had going for me was that my parents were from shinobi clans, meaning I could stay here without trouble, where I could be protected. I had the support of most of the major clans, but a few of them, and many of the minor clans, sought my execution. But I persevered, found people to love and be loved by, and earned the respect of this village and many people in Hi no Kuni."

Naruto leaned forward slightly. "Unlike you, I didn't throw my life away," he said, voice as cold as ice. "And whether you like it or not, yours is going to be put to some good use, Haruno-san. I'm running low on the more effective assassins in my forces—I could put someone like you to a lot of good use. In exchange, you get a chance to rebuild your life, find something worth living for. But you will also have to earn your place here, and earn the trust of the people who you may wish to call friend. It may have only been a job to you, but to the people of this village, your attempt on my life was no different than an attempt on the life their sons, fathers, and brothers. The people of this village are family—though we are organized into clans, we are all a part of a stronger whole. The Uchiha didn't see things that way, attempted to turn against us—and those within the Uchiha who were a part of this family destroyed them for it. So you see, Haruno-san, you have your work cut out for you… but believe me, that makes the rewards so much greater."

Sakura glared at the Hokage. "I won't be a tool for you," she said coldly. The Hokage scoffed.

"I have no use for tools," he said. "A kunai or a shuriken is a tool—ultimately useless to me in the grand scheme of things. What I'm offering you is a place in my family."

"Even so," spat Sakura spitefully. "I'm only an assassin—even if you're running low on quality assassins, I'm worthless for a shinobi village."

"That's why we'll be training you in the ninja arts," said the Hokage calmly. "You're right—a mere assassin would be useless to me. My shinobi could fulfill any of the tasks you could with half as much difficulty. The exception are other ninja, which stand no chance against at present—but on the other hand, with the proper training, you could even assassinate the kages. Think about that."

The Hokage turned to leave, and Sakura hesitated as he opened the door.

"Wait!" said Sakura. The Hokage paused and looked over his shoulder at her. Sakura took a deep breath.

"What's your name? I refuse to call you 'Hokage-sama' like everyone else," she said, part of her hoping to anger him.

"Namikaze Naruto," said the Hokage calmly, disappointing Sakura. She gave a slight nod.

"Alright, Naruto," she said. To her surprise, he smiled slightly.

"Thank you," said Naruto. "You're the first person besides my mom to call me that since I took this position." Naruto turned to leave again, but paused for a moment.

"Goodnight, Sakura-chan," said Naruto as he left. Sakura stared at the closed door with wide eyes.

Did… did her heart skip a beat?

* * *

**Author's Note: So, what did you think? I liked how it came out, and while it is a little short, I felt that was a good point to end the first chapter, especially since I also needed to see what everybody thought of it.**

**Anyways, here's a list of the pairings in this story (one or more of which may seem unconventional...):**

**Naruto x Sakura**

**Shino x Hinata (I prefer her with Shino over Kiba)**

**Neji x Tenten**

**Kakashi x Shizune**

**Asuma x Kurenai**

**Itachi x Ayame (I don't care what people think... she seemed like a good idea, in any event)**

**Ino x ? (I'm really not sure yet...)**

**Shikamaru x Temari (naturally)**

**Alright, that wraps up the pairings for now. Ja ne!**


	2. Chapter 2

***Sigh* Well, it's not a long chapter, but I felt that I should post it, and I thought it ended at a good point. I will, however, endeavour to make the chapters longer from now on.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own Assassin's Creed, or any of the Assassin's Creed gear that Sakura may or may not possess.  
**

* * *

"So, you're Haruno Sakura?" asked the blonde kunoichi. Sakura sighed and nodded.

The pink-haired assassin had ultimately agreed to the Hokage's offer: her life in exchange for becoming a ninja. So now, she was about to receive her first lessons from an attractive blonde kunoichi her own age and a scarred Chūnin with his hair tied in a ponytail.

"Excellent!" said the blonde. "This is Umino Iruka, a teacher at the Konoha Academy. He'll be teaching you the basics. The Hokage assigned me as your attendant. My name is Yamanaka Ino. Oh, and Sakura-san?" Ino leaned forward, and Sakura stepped back slightly as she felt killer intent for the first time in her life. "Whatever happens… stay away from MY Naruto-kun, got it?" With that, Ino 'hmphed' slightly and walked away, leaving a confused, flustered, and frightened Sakura behind. When the blonde was out of sight, Sakura turned to Iruka.

"W-what was that?" she asked. Iruka sighed.

"Ino used some killer intent there," said Iruka. "Like every girl around that age, Ino's been in love with the Rokudaime since he showed his true self to the entire village at his first Chūnin Exam. Prior to that, they'd all had a crush on Uchiha Sasuke, because of his looks, talent, and 'cool' attitude. But Sasuke was a cold person. When they realized what Naruto was really like, they found that he was everything—and I do mean _everything_—they were looking for in a man. The 'Sasuke Fanclub' was renamed the 'Naruto Fanclub' within twenty-four hours—pretty frightening, actually. Ino is the only one who ever managed to land a date with him though. He simply never cared for any of them as more than friends. Ino's closer to him—he sees her as something of a sister, but her feelings for him have only grown with the years."

Sakura nodded in understanding before something else struck her.

"But, Naruto-san told me that no one's called him by his name since he became Hokage," said Sakura, confused. Iruka chuckled slightly.

"Yes, mostly correct," said Iruka. "Those few of us who still refer to him by name only do so outside of his presence—we refuse to disrespect a man such as him, no matter how much he asks us to call him by name."

_That makes sense_, thought Sakura, nodding.

"Well, we got off topic," said Iruka. "It's time to begin your training."

* * *

"Agh!" sighed Sakura, throwing herself back onto the bed of her apartment. The 'basics' taught by Iruka were incredibly frustrating. All of it was useless information. What did she care about how Konoha was founded, or the history of the Hokage? Though, on the bright side, she had learned the three basic Ninjutsu—**Bunshin no Jutsu**, **Henge no Jutsu**, and **Kawarimi no Jutsu**. That was enough for her to be qualified a Genin, since she already met the weapon and hand-to-hand skills requirements.

Now she was going to be taught by a Konoha Tokubetsu Jōnin, a red-eyed woman named Yūhi Kurenai, a Genjutsu specialist. She'd been told that Genjutsu had been selected as a specialty for her because it would greatly compliment her skills and role as an assassin.

Over the three weeks she'd been 'studying' under Iruka, Sakura had gained a newfound respect for the people of Konoha. It took a lot of mental power to endure Iruka's lectures.

She'd also become somewhat steady friends with Ino, who seemed the only person in the entire village willing to keep her company, though Ino obviously feared that Sakura was plotting to steal away 'HER Naruto-kun'. As if.

"Having fun?" came an amused voice that had burned itself into Sakura's memories. The ex-assassin's eyes snapped open and focused themselves on the face of the Hokage, Namikaze Naruto, who was eyeing her with obvious amusement.

Sakura blushed slightly, realizing that she was wearing her skintight assassin outfit, which left nothing to the imagination. Wait, why was she embarrassed? It's not like she hadn't been seen in this outfit by other handsome men of tremendous strength and power.

"Yes, thank you," said Sakura with blatant sarcasm, hoping to hide her blush. If the Hokage noticed the blush, he ignored it. Instead, he chuckled slightly.

"Yeah, Iruka-sensei's lectures can get pretty boring, huh?" he said. "I used to skip class a lot with my friends because of how boring his lectures were." Sakura's eyes widened. She had thought the Hokage would be a 'perfect student'.

"Really?" asked Sakura, the word slipping from her tongue in surprise. The Hokage nodded, smiling.

"Yeah," said Naruto softly. "I used to be quite the troublemaker—I was actually the worst student in my graduating class. I skipped lessons most of the time, was loud and brash, acted obnoxious and idiotic, and wore _orange_, of all colors, all the time."

Sakura stared at Naruto, eyes wide. This man had been an orange-wearing idiot?

"I spent more time on pranks then training," continued Naruto. "I was a dropout who failed the Genin Exam three times, and only graduated on a technicality and the betrayal of an academy instructor. I had to fight for everything I have… it wasn't easy, though."

Sakura openly gaped at Naruto, shocked to hear that this man, possibly the strongest man alive, had once been a dropout unable to go anywhere in life.

Naruto apparently realized what Sakura was thinking, as he smiled slightly at her and spoke. "You see," he said. "We're not so different, are we, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura blushed slightly.

_Why am I blushing_? thought Sakura. _It's not like I like him or anything… right?_

"Well, I'll let you rest," continued Naruto. "Kurenai can be a bit of a slave driver at times, and she can bring in a lot of… 'motivational' favors."

Sakura gulped as Naruto walked out of the room.

* * *

Naruto slumped in his chair, taking slow deep breaths to calm his racing heart.

Sakura had been… well, cute when she blushed. Naruto had thought of various girls as cute, beautiful, sexy, and, in Ino's case, absolutely stunning. So why in the world did Sakura's blush get more of a reaction from him than some of the outright sexually-oriented near assaults of his fangirls, including the time Ino tried to drag him to her bed after their lone romantic date? He couldn't understand it. Had it not been for his extensive training, he might've found himself sputtering, acting like an idiot, and causing her to hate him.

Hell, everything seemed different about her. Or, more accurately, everything about him in relation to her was different. When he'd learned of who was coming after him, he'd fully intended to kill her. Put an end to her misery. Yet, the instant he'd laid eyes on her, he found that he couldn't do it. He saw emptiness in her green eyes, as he'd seen in so many. But it looked wrong in her eyes. Those were eyes that should've been vibrant and full of life. Not dead. And he wanted it to be him who gave those eyes a spark of life.

But he couldn't trust himself to be there, helping her. He'd observed some of her lessons with Iruka… and had all but zoned out the entire world watching her. He'd never done that before.

Sakura had an effect on him that Naruto knew almost every female in Konoha wished they had on him. Hell, the Fire Daimyo's daughter wished she had that effect on him. And yet, some woman he hardly knew had somehow claimed the position of his first crush. If word of that got out to his fangirls, Sakura's head would be on a pike within twenty-four hours.

"Something on your mind, Hokage-sama?" came a calm voice. Naruto looked up to see Shizune, his adoptive sister and personal assistant.

Naruto nodded, motioning for Shizune to sit down. She was perhaps the only person he could really talk about his personal life too. Nearly every male in the village was at least a closet pervert, outside of the Aburame, Hyūga, and Nara clans, anyways (or rather, the Nara's didn't count since they were too lazy to satisfy their 'inner pervert'). Most of those that weren't perverts were just plain crazy—take Maito Gai and Rock Lee, for example. And the females were mostly out—gushing about first love, or determined to kill Naruto's first real love interest.

Thus leaving Naruto with Shizune as the only person he could talk too. Sure, Hyūga Hinata might not have been a bad idea (she was too meek to gush over first love, nor was she a fangirl), but despite her relationship with Aburame Shino, she still harbored feelings for Naruto, and everybody knew it.

"Sakura-chan," said Naruto simply. Shizune's eyes softened slightly.

"Sakura-_chan_, huh?" she said. "My, my, I'm surprised. You know, I'd expected you to simply kill her and be done with it. Care to tell me why you let her live?"

"Her eyes," said Naruto, turning his chair a bit so he could look out the window of his office. Rain was once again pouring down on the village, something unusual for Hi no Kuni prior to Naruto's battle with Pein. "The pain and loneliness I saw in them… they don't belong there. I've seen that same kind of pain and loneliness before, but they belonged in those eyes. Those people… they'd resigned themselves to it. She, unknowingly, fought against it in the only way she could think of. A form of suicide."

Shizune was silent for a moment before nodding. "So that's why…" she said. "You two are exactly alike… you've both been alone for a long time. Only she couldn't find it in herself to fight against it the way you had." Naruto shook his head.

"She tried," he said. "But she was passed over. I actually looked into the matter. Turns out she was more qualified than almost anyone else to attend the civilian academy. But it seems Mizuki wasn't just a traitor, but a sexist bastard too. None of the girls that year were passed." Shizune's eyes widened, and her fist clenched in anger.

Naruto chuckled slightly. "It's a shame we didn't discover this sooner… we lost a lot of prospective kunoichi that year," he said. "They probably could've been very effective medics too. Kaa-san would have a field day if she found out Mizuki cut out that many people."

"H-how many?" choked Shizune. Naruto locked eyes with her.

"Eighty-seven," he said. Shizune's eyes narrowed suddenly and she stood up.

"I'll be back," she said. "Just as soon I've learned a few things from Anko…" Shizune started walking out of the office.

"Calm down, Shizune," said Naruto. "I already informed Anko—believe me, even Mizuki doesn't deserve more of that." Naruto shuddered slightly. Even _he_ was weary of Mitarashi Anko.

"Fine," said Shizune, sitting back down. "I can't believe that son of a bitch cost us eighty-seven kunoichi potentials."

Naruto nodded slightly in agreement before turning to face the window again. "We've gotten off subject," he said. "Me and Sakura-chan are alike. But there's more to it than that. For the first time in my life, I feel like I might lose my head over this. I have a _crush_ on that girl, and I hardly know her."

Shizune smiled slightly. Despite her threats aimed at Sakura when the girl first arrived, she was fond of anything that could make her otōto happy, and if Sakura could do that, great. Of course, if Sakura hurt him, well…

She'd be begging for them to hand her over to Anko.

"Well, I'd suggest you try to get to know her better," said Shizune. "Just don't let Ino or any of the other girls find out." With that, Shizune stood again, intent on letting Naruto get back to work.

"Shizune?" said Naruto, making her pause at the door. "How has _he_ been?"

Shizune was quiet for a moment before speaking up. "He's doing fairly well, all things considered," she said. "He's still hurt by what's happened to his friends and his inability to convince them that they're wrong, but… I think he'll be alright."

Naruto nodded. "Can you tell him I want to see him?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama," said Shizune before walking out the door.

Naruto watched as the rain outside finally ceased. It took less than a minute for the sun to break the clouds apart, shining down brightly on the village. Behind him, Naruto heard someone walking up to his door.

"Enter," he said before they even had a chance to knock. The door opened, then closed after the figure stepped through.

"You called for me, Hokage-sama?" he said.

Naruto nodded as he turned his chair back to his desk, facing perhaps the strongest shinobi under his command.

"We have a lot to discuss. You and I aren't so different… Yahiko."

* * *

**Hmmm... I wonder how many of you saw that one coming? Regardless, it was fun. When I first wrote this, I planned to have Pein in his entirety as a part of Konoha's forces, but decided against it, because he's too powerful and THAT &%^$&$#^# SON OF A BITCH KILLED SHIZUNE!**

**Anyways, any questions on how it is that Yahiko is alive will be answered in future chapters (how distant, I'm not sure). And, for those of you who don't know/have forgotten, Yahiko was the name of Pein's Deva Path (his most powerful body, the one you see him using most often) before he died. You know, the one that can emit gravitation-like forces to repel/pull targets, and was used to blow up half of Konoha? The one that generates the rain? Yeah...**

**Anyways, please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**This story's proven so popular that I just had to put in the effort to update it. This chapter gives us a little more info on the past's of the ninja of Konoha, especially Naruto. I thought you might enjoy it.**

**Please Read & Review!  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or Assassin's Creed... I only mention that second one cause it's what motivated me to write this in the first place.  
**

* * *

Yahiko stared in wide-eyed horror. Even the effective betrayal of Nagato and Konan paled in comparison to Sasuke's betrayal of Naruto and Konoha. Yahiko's fist clenched in anger.

"That… bastard… he…" said Yahiko, finding it difficult to speak coherently for the first time in years.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah…" he said. "He murdered her in cold blood. She _loved_ him. And, at one time, he had loved her. But then, he saw me growing faster than him—I became a Chūnin and he didn't. I beat Sabaku no Gaara and he didn't. I was receiving training from a Sannin and he wasn't. I was an orphan from dead clans, and he was a survivor of the elite Uchiha clan, and yet I was surpassing him. He couldn't stand it." Naruto snorted. "He's the same as almost every other Uchiha. The same as Nagato has become. He thinks he's superior because he's got a powerful dōjutsu. He thinks a clan name means everything. Sasuke always lived in a world of his own delusion. Every time it was shattered, he became more furious. He killed her for the Mangekyō Sharingan—but he felt no remorse. Nothing. He only felt glee. He no longer loved her. All he cares about, to this day, is himself, his own power, his own vengeance. And in his quest for power…"

"He sacrificed everything he could've had and stunted his own growth, the same way Nagato has," said Yahiko. Yahiko understood that all too well. "You're the strongest shinobi in the world, because you put your all into it, your heart, mind, soul, body… everything. And you attempted no shortcuts, no quicker methods. You used hard work, time, and determination to grow stronger. And that strength was never intended to serve yourself, but those that you loved, those you held dear… even those that hated you. And because of this, you continue to grow, where so many others have reached their limits."

Naruto nodded. "Sasuke's desire to grow stronger more quickly worked, for awhile. But then, it stunted his growth. He's already at the limit of his power, and he still can't beat Itachi. Itachi, on the other hand, sacrificed his own growth and his own potential for the sake of peace. Nagato's method of fighting, while undeniably powerful, has stunted his growth as well."

Yahiko nodded in understanding. "I see…" he said. "Thank you for telling me all of this, Hokage-sama." Naruto nodded as Yahiko stood up to leave.

"Yahiko… get some rest," said Naruto. "I can't be sacrificing the health of my most powerful shinobi simply so that we can know well in advance if anyone is approaching."

* * *

"Alright, Sakura-san, it's time to start chakra control exercises," said Ino. "But first, I thought you might be interested in looking at this." Ino handed Sakura a Bingo Book. Curiously, Sakura opened it, and her eyes widened in surprise.

This book, apparently, belonged to the village of Iwagakure no Sato, Konoha's most longstanding enemy. The information listed was on the top forces of Konoha, and Sakura couldn't help but stare and look through all of it.

_Namikaze Naruto  
S-class Shinobi, age 17,__  
Bounty: five hundred million ryo  
Son of Namikaze Minato, the Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō, Namikaze Naruto is a master of Nin-, Gen-, and Taijutsu, as well as a certified Seal Master. Nicknamed the Konoha no Kin no Kitsune. All forces are ordered to flee on sight._

_Uchiha Itachi  
S-class Shinobi, age 22,  
Bounty: fifty million ryo  
Last Uchiha loyal to Konohagakure no Sato. Wielder of the Mangekyō Sharingan, Uchiha Itachi destroyed the entire Uchiha clan single-handedly in one night to prevent civil war within Konoha. Recommended flee on sight._

_Jiraiya, Gamasennin  
S-class Shinobi, age 55,  
Bounty: eighty million ryo  
Strongest of the Densetsu no Sannin, Jiraiya is a master toad summoner as well as a master of Katon and Doton jutsu. Believed to be a master of Senjutsu, as well as a certified Seal Master. Recommended flee on sight._

_Senju Tsunade  
S-class Kunoichi, age 55,  
Bounty: fifty million ryo  
Last surviving member of the Senju clan, granddaughter of the Shodaime Hokage, student of the Sandaime Hokage, and legendary medic nin of the Densetsu no Sannin. Tsunade is a master of slug summons and medic Ninjutsu. She is known to possess monstrous inhuman strength, the ability to regenerate from any wound instantly, and can change appearance at will. Recommended flee on sight._

_Hoshigaki Kisame  
S-class Shinobi, age 34  
Bounty: fifty million ryo  
The 'Monster of the Hidden Mist' and former member of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shū, Kisame has joined the ranks of Konohagakure no Sato. He wields the chakra-eating sword Samehada, and can produce a large amount of water for use in his powerful Suiton jutsu. Strongly advised to flee on sight._

_Deidara (clan unknown),  
S-class Shinobi, age 21  
Bounty: a hundred million ryo_** (A/N: these are Iwa's bounties, hence why Deidara's is so high)  
**_A terrorist formerly of Iwa, Deidara assassinated the Sandaime Tsuchikage. He fights through the use of exploding clay. True extent of his abilities, presently unknown. Advised flee on sight._

_Akasuna no Sasori  
S-class Shinobi, age 37  
Bounty: fifty million ryo  
Legendary Kugutsu master from Sunagakure no Sato. Sasori is believed to have destroyed a small country single-handedly. Recommended flee on sight._

_Hatake Kakashi  
S-class Shinobi, age 31  
Bounty: fifty five million ryo  
Kopi Nin no Kakashi, or Sharingan no Kakashi, this man wields a Sharingan in his left eye, and has copied over a thousand jutsu. He is the son of the Kiba Shiro, Hatake Sakumo. Recommended flee on sight._

_Hyūga Neji  
S-class Shinobi, age 18  
Bounty: forty five million ryo  
Elite Jōnin from the branch house of the Hyūga clan. Master of nearly all known forms of the Jūken style. Personal guardian of Hyūga Hinata. Recommended flee on sight._

Sakura was, put simply, shocked. Nine of the most dangerous shinobi in the world were a part of Konoha's forces? One of whom was believed to have actually destroyed a small country by himself?

What the hell were people thinking, not falling over themselves to get on the village's good side? Sakura may not have been a ninja herself—until recently, anyway—but she knew all those names except for Naruto's, and even she had heard of Konoha's Golden Fox.

Ino smiled. "Interesting, isn't it?" she said. "I think you were being severely underpaid for that hit on Naruto-kun. Not that I'm surprised. Iwa would go completely bankrupt paying the bounty they've put on Naruto-kun's head. I think they did it mostly because they don't think anyone could ever succeed. Though I suppose they _really_ want to pay back his father in any way they can for the humiliation of the Third War."

Sakura smiled slightly at that. She'd heard about the Third War, a conflict that was won by Konoha and its allies, with many of their enemies defeated by one man—the Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō, a legendary one-man army. To this day, he was _still_ considered the strongest shinobi in history.

"Ano, Ino-chan? Can you tell me a little more about Naruto-san?" asked Sakura suddenly. "I don't really know much about him…" Ino's expression softened and grew dreamy, a gentle smile on her lips. Sakura gaped at the sudden change.

"Naruto-kun… well, I don't know how to describe him," said Ino. "He's lived a hard life… even those people who weren't resentful of his status as a Jinchūriki tended to ignore him. There were some… many of the ANBU, Tokubetsu Jōnin, and a few of the regular Jōnin. Then… there were the Akimichi's. They were easily the kindest to Naruto, save for the Sandaime-sama himself, in the early years of his life. Most specifically was two of the civilians within the clan, though you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at them: Ichiraku Teuchi and his daughter, Ichiraku Ayame. Despite all that, he wanted to protect us."

"It was a sharp contrast to Sasuke…" said Ino, suddenly, her face twisting in obvious disgust. "Sasuke was looked up to… you know that there's actually a civilian council in the village? Even though everyone is either a shinobi or part of a shinobi clan, there's a council that has to handle the civilian issues. A lot of them, though, can no longer be considered clans—Naruto-kun is planning on seeing about their expulsion, something my clan—the mind walkers—will be critical too. Anyways, they were falling over themselves to please the 'Last Uchiha' and regarded him as some sort of tragic hero, while they held Naruto-kun in enormous contempt, even though his story really was one of the tragic hero. Naruto-kun's father died sealing the Kyūbi into him… and his mother died in childbirth. Naruto-kun's always been alone."

"And then, everything changed," continued Ino, looking up at the morning sky. "He finally became a Genin. He and Sasuke were placed on the same team, and they actually became best friends. I remember that a lot of girls, including me, were jealous of their third teammate, Shiori-san, for being on a team with Sasuke. In addition to their team, team seven, two other teams passed—eight and ten, one of which I was on. At the end of our first Chūnin exams—which we took as rookies, something that was unprecedented—there had been four teams remaining. The three rookie teams—team seven, or Team Kakashi, team eight, or Team Kurenai, and team ten, or Team Asuma—and then a team one year our senior, Team Gai. We became known as the Konoha Twelve. We were the strongest Genin Konoha had ever seen. We were unprecedented, unmatched. Through our hardwork, dedication, and teamwork, we, considered C-class nin at best, had taken down S-class nukenin. We'd taken missions that ANBU failed and we not only survived, but accomplished the mission."

"And then it happened…" Ino's face fell, her expression sad. "Naruto-kun was declared the strongest of the Konoha Twelve. He was receiving training from Jiraiya of the Sannin. He'd defeated a supposedly invulnerable enemy, Sabaku no Gaara, who even the rest of us together couldn't beat at the time. And then, Itachi-sama, an undercover agent in the Akatsuki criminal organization at the time, came to warn his contacts that Akatsuki was on the move. To maintain his cover, he pretended to be hunting Naruto for the Akatsuki. Sasuke's ego couldn't handle it anymore, and he betrayed us. By that point, he'd been dating Shiori-san for a while. He seemed to change overnight to us—or perhaps he was just good with his masks, and simply let it down and showed us the true face beneath it. People have called Naruto and the Kyūbi demons, but even the Kyūbi had a sense of honor, a soul in some form. But Sasuke… he didn't. He murdered Shiori in cold blood, hoping to activate his Mangekyō Sharingan. But because he only felt glee, no remorse, no regret, nothing but joy at her death, it didn't activate, which finally drove him completely over the edge into insanity. He _seems_ sane, but he isn't."

Sakura's face was twisted in horror. What kind of creature was this Uchiha?

"Sasuke was the true monster," continued Ino. "After that, he tried fleeing to Konoha's greatest enemy, Orochimaru, who'd given him the Cursed Seal of Heaven to forcefully draw out chakra and taint it to increase its potency. I've felt that chakra. The Kyūbi's chakra was malicious, cruel… but it was neither good nor evil. But the chakra of the Cursed Seal… its pure evil and malice. The level of evil coming from it is enough to suffocate people. I was the one who had to go through the minds of my friends who went on the mission to capture or kill Sasuke before he reached Orochimaru. Naruto-kun's memories were perhaps the most terrifying."

**000****00000****00000****—Flashback—****000000000****0000**

"_Sasuke, you son of a bitch, get back here!" shouted Naruto as he stared at Sasuke from atop the statue head of Senju Hashirama, the Shodaime Hokage. Sasuke glanced back at Naruto from his own position atop Uchiha Madara, Hashirama's best friend and greatest enemy, Sasuke's own ancestor._

_Sasuke's left half was covered by the Cursed Seal, and his left eye had turned yellow and slitted, just like Orochimaru's had been. Naruto's fist clenched in anger._

"_Kukuku…" chuckled Sasuke in the same evil manner Orochimaru had done. "So good of you to come, Naruto… my best friend… the woman I loved didn't work, so obviously, it must be you… with your death, I'll have the power to make him pay for what he has done, and I will finally prove that the Uchiha are the strongest in the world!"_

"_Sasuke, you arrogant moron," spat Naruto venomously. "You're nothing more than a murderer… you're no better than your brother… or perhaps worse. At least he didn't sell his soul to the devil in his quest for power! At least he wasn't arrogant enough to believe a nasty eyetick meant he was superior to all others!"_

"_Kukuku… you keep telling yourself that Naruto…" chuckled Sasuke as the seal spread to cover his entire body, turning it dark gray. His black hair turned ash gray, a black star-like diamond formed over his nose, his hair grew longer, and the whites of his blazing tri-tomoe Sharingan eyes turned black as he smirked evilly. Perhaps most disturbingly, with a tearing sound, two hand-like wings tore through the clothes of his back._

"_This is true power, Uzumaki Naruto!" shouted Sasuke as he formed the three hand seals for the jutsu taught to them by their sensei, Kakashi, the __**Chidori**__. Naruto's teeth gritted. The bastard was twisting their sensei's sword of protection and comradery into a blade of evil. Naruto heard the sound of thousands of birds taking flight as the __**Chidori **__turned black with the evil power of the Cursed Seal, and Sasuke jumped into the air, taking flight with his wings, clearly intent on plunging the jutsu straight into Naruto's body. Naruto sighed, closing his eyes, before opening them to reveal red orbs with black slitted pupils as he formed an ominous sphere of swirling purplish chakra._

_It was his most powerful technique, the __**Yōko Rasengan**__, a contained typhoon of chakra mixing his chakra with that of the demon fox he contained. As Sasuke jabbed forward with his evil __**Chidori**__, Naruto slammed into it with his __**Rasengan**__… and watched in satisfaction as Sasuke was blasted back by the explosion of chakra, Naruto holding himself in place with his own chakra._

_The chakra of the demon fox leaked from Naruto's body before wrapping around it, forming a fox-like one-tailed shroud of red chakra. Sasuke stared in wide-eyed horror as Naruto shot forward, faster than Sasuke could counter even with the aid of the second level of the Cursed Seal and his fully matured Sharingan, and tore into Sasuke's body with his claws. He slammed his chakra tail into Sasuke, sending the Uchiha flying, and then stretched out his chakra arm, wrapping the claws of Yōko around Sasuke's body and pulling him back to Naruto, who slammed another __**Yōko Rasengan**__ right into Sasuke's stomach._

_Naruto watched in satisfaction as the sphere shredded Sasuke's belly and sent him flying to the other end of the valley. Unfortunately, he saw Yakushi Kabuto, Orochimaru's right hand man, arrive with a large contingent of Oto reinforcements. Naruto growled in frustration. As it was, he had difficulty controlling the one-tailed state—he and the demon fox didn't have the necessary synchronization to go beyond that while keeping themselves from turning into an animal. And he couldn't beat this many by himself unless he were to jump to three or more tails…_

_Naruto retreated, hoping Kabuto wouldn't be able to save the despicable Uchiha's life, and regretting not slamming the __**Rasengan**__ into Sasuke's face to destroy his eyes._

**00000000000000000000000000000****00000000****000000****— End Flashback—00000000000000000000000000000****00000000****000000**

"Sō ka…" said Sakura quietly as Ino finished recounting Naruto's fight with Sasuke. "He really is… a bakemono…" Sakura looked at the Hokage monument. Naruto's face wasn't there yet, but he looked so much like his father that Sakura could look at the carving of the Yondaime and feel like she was staring at Naruto. "No wonder he holds Sasuke in such contempt…" Ino snorted.

"You don't know the half of it," said Ino. "Only Naruto knew this before hand. The rest of us didn't find out till afterwards. Sasuke's betrayal is much more personal than most people believed…"

"What do you mean, Ino-san?" asked Sakura, confused. Ino looked at Sakura, who stepped back in shock at the grief in Ino's eyes.

"Kazama Shiori… wasn't her real name."

Ino took a deep breath.

"Her real name was Namikaze-Uzumaki Shiori… she was Naruto's twin sister."

* * *

**Well, how was that for another unexpected twist? I'm sure a lot of you were dying to know who Naruto and Sasuke's third teammate was, so there you go. You've got it.**

**Also, I made a revision, as her real name was originally Naruka (Shiori was only part of the alias), but someone suggested making Shiori her real name, and I decided that I liked that idea myself, so I decided to go with it.  
**

**Yes, I'm making Sasuke especially vile in this one. Can you blame me? I hate that idiotic son of a... bastard. I prefer not to think of Mikoto as a 'bitch', so...**

**Anyways, I hope you all liked it. More flashbacks will be revealed, showing things like the Chuunin exams in greater detail, Naruto's battle with Gaara, how Sasuke got the Cursed Seal in the first place... that sort of thing.**

**Anyways, hope you all enjoyed that! Now, look down... (this is something I wanted to do just once, after seeing others do it)**

**\/**

**PRESS THE BUTTON!**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter isn't too great, but I figured you all deserved an update about now. A little more interaction between Naruto and Sakura here.**

**One thing I don't think people have realized is that, though there may be some action, some flashbacks, and a fair bit of history, the primary idea of this story is Naruto, Sakura, and their relationship. Don't expect some big 'bad guy' style character to be present. There are some antagonists, but overall, they're a minor part of the story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Of course. Everyone should know that by now. And here I thought lawyers were smart...  
**

* * *

Sakura lay in her bed that night, thinking about what Ino had told her about Naruto.

She could hardly believe what the Hokage, the mighty, seemingly perfect shinobi, had been through. All of Sakura's suffering seemed pitiful in comparison to that. Naruto was a man who'd known true suffering, as few, if any, others could possibly claim. He'd been seen as a demon, and a monster. He'd been hated, his only solace kept out of reach to protect them both. And then, Sasuke, his _best_ friend, a man he'd viewed as a brother, had betrayed him, murdered his twin sister in cold blood, and metaphorically sold his soul to the devil for power.

All in the hopes of killing his best friend and his older brother.

* * *

"So? How has she been?" asked Naruto, eyeing the red-eyed beauty standing in front of his desk. Ino, despite knowing that Kurenai had chosen a life of celibacy after the death of her fiancée, Ino's old sensei Sarutobi Asuma, bristled slightly from the fact that Naruto was eyeing a beautiful woman, even if she also knew he wasn't at all interested, and was merely eyeing her the way he would anyone who came before him.

"She's made some impressive progress," said Kurenai. "Ino had put her on chakra control exercises when I arrived. She's got a lot of natural talent for it—she's already mastered the basics of tree climbing and water walking. And, in spite of them being low-level, she was able to deal with my Genjutsu almost effortlessly, and has already learned two low-level Genjutsu for herself. She's extremely gifted in chakra control—more so than anyone I've ever heard of before." Naruto gave a slight smile.

"Mom will be pleased to hear that," said Naruto as he flared his chakra in a pattern that requested his mother's presence. She appeared a moment later.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?" asked Tsunade. Naruto sighed, annoyed that his mother insisted on referring to him that way, though at the least, she and Jiraiya would still refer to him less formally during off-work hours.

"I think I may have found an apprentice for you," he said. Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"You know that I refused to accept anyone as my apprentice after Shiori-chan's murder," said Tsunade. Though she'd trained Ino, Hinata, and a few others in medical Ninjutsu, she refused to accept an apprentice who could serve as her heir. Naruto sighed again.

"Listen, mom, I don't want to make this an order," said Naruto. "The fact is that you need an apprentice—and from the reports, Sakura-san's chakra control surpasses even Shiori-chan's. She has the potential to become an unsurpassed medical kunoichi—add that to the Genjutsu she's learning from Kurenai and her own skills as an assassin, and her potential becomes nearly limitless."

"Is that really necessary?" asked Kurenai, obviously surprised. "As it is, Konoha is already the strongest of all the Hidden Villages. We surpass most of the others in skills, numbers, and techniques, and already have eight S-class nin in addition to yourself."

"Perhaps," said Naruto. "But Sasuke and his Taka-chīmu are still out there, as are Orochimaru and Kabuto, not to mention the Akatsuki. Relations with Iwa have also been breaking down, and I suspect Madara may be moving to retake Kiri himself. Oto, of course, is divided between Sasuke and Orochimaru. Ame, naturally, is already loyal to Akatsuki. Kusa, Taki, and Getsu are all siding with Iwa against us. Our only allies are Suna and Kumo; Nami no Kuni, despite its great economic value, is more a liability than an asset if war breaks out, much as I hate to admit it."

"Not so fun being leader of one of the greatest counties in the world, is it?" asked Tsunade, smiling. Naruto locked eyes with her, and the smile immediately left her face.

"Yes, and as a leader, I have to put aside the personal feelings of myself and the shinobi under my command," said Naruto. "Our greatest concern is the protection of Hi no Kuni. Not only the protection, but the _power_ and _morals_ of Hi no Kuni. Unfortunately, many interests will often conflict. _That_ is why I need you to take Sakura-san as your apprentice." Naruto leaned forward. "You're right, Tsunade-sama," he said coldly. Tsunade flinched slightly. Even before Naruto's adoption and Tsunade's retirment from the Hokage position, he had only ever referred to her like that when he was extremely angry… or thinking of Shiori, something that pained him greatly.

Naruto blamed himself for his twin's death.

"_Nobody_ can _ever_ take Shiori's place," said Naruto. "I know this better than _anyone_, including yourself. But I have to put aside personal feelings in all this. Sakura has the potential to surpass _any _of our elites. She has the same level of potential _I _had, if of a significantly different sort. As Hokage, I _cannot _and _will not_ allow that sort of potential to slip away. Am I understood?"

Gulping slightly, Tsunade nodded.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," she said.

* * *

"Well, you have my congratulations and sympathies, Sakura-san," said Ino cheerfully as she and Kurenai continued the assassin on chakra control exercises.

"What do you mean?" asked Sakura while balancing a kunai on her left thumb with chakra, walking up and down a waterfall, curling a leaf in her right hand with chakra, and trying to make a leaf float in the air above her forehead while going up the waterfall, and making it stick to her forehead while going down.

"Naruto-kun convinced Tsunade-sama to take you on as an apprentice and heir," said Ino. "Nobody's been able to get that position since… Sasuke's defection." Ino danced slightly around Shiori's death. "Some kunoichi—myself and Hinata-san prominent among them—received training from her, but it was only enough for Chūnin level medical Ninjutsu. Secrets like her super strength, the control methods used to produce the Infūin, and Sōzō Saisei Kinjutsu are reserved strictly for her chosen apprentice… and, well, we all know what happened to her…"

Sakura looked down, unconsciously continuing her exercises as she felt the tear in her heart. Cold-hearted she may have chosen to be—only the absolute cruelest of assassins would fail to be appalled by Shiori's murder.

"Anyways, you should know that even though we weren't actual apprentices, we worked harder than we've ever been in our lives," continued Ino. "According to Shizune-san, Tsunade's first apprentice—she dropped from that position though, didn't have the potential necessary—we got off easy, so I can't even begin to imagine what it'll be like for you."

"Great…" muttered Sakura, rolling her eyes.

"Well now, I see the reports weren't exaggerated," came the familiar voice of the Hokage. The two lifelong kunoichi and the assassin-turned-kunoichi all turned their heads to see Naruto approaching them.

"Hokage-sama," said Ino and Kurenai simultaneously as they bowed to him respectfully. Sakura came down from the waterfall and bowed herself.

"Naruto-san," said Sakura. Ino and Kurenai both glared murderously at Sakura, hearing her address the Hokage directly like that, but Sakura ignored them, and Naruto merely chuckled.

"May I ask why you're here, Hokage-sama?" asked Ino, obviously hoping to get into a _real_ conversation with Naruto.

Alas for the lovestruck girl, it was not to be.

"Yes, you may," said Naruto. "I happen to have the day off—**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** can get you a lot of those—and decided that perhaps it was time for Sakura-san to truly see our village. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Of course!" said Ino enthusiastically.

"Good," said Naruto. "Because we need you down at the hospital. Kiba managed to get himself badly mangled again, and Hinata doesn't have anyone to substitute for her in her duties with the Hyūga. Shizune needs an assistant; mom's busy drinking her life away with Ero-sennin. Again. Those two really should get married already, but I'm afraid I might have to make a break for it when they finally do tie the knot…"

Both Kurenai and Sakura chuckled slightly at that, and Ino seemed torn between laughing at the second part and wandering off into a depressing corner of the world at the first.

Sakura was unaware of it, but Inuzuka Kiba had a bad habit of getting himself hurt to extremes that should even kill someone like Naruto, but always seemed to manage to stick around. At times, it seemed he only did it for the sake of the (often) very painful process of fixing him, and putting all his limbs back into the correct spots. Ino still couldn't figure out how he managed to end up in enough of a mess that they'd had to start transplanting his limbs.

"Kurenai-sensei, I think you should go and spend the day with Sōma," said Naruto. "After all, you're gonna be busy the next few weeks with Sakura-san's Genjutsu training." Kurenai smile and nodded.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," said Kurenai as she walked away. Naruto turned back to Sakura.

"Well then…" he said, holding out a hand to her. "Shall we?"

* * *

"Hokage-sama!" "Hokage-dono!" "Hokage-sama! Good morning!"

Sakura couldn't help but snap her head around constantly, as people cheerfully greeted their Hokage. Looking at it now, it seemed like an ordinary village, rather than the centerpiece of the most powerful country in the world.

Children, laughing, running around, and playing games. Shopkeepers tending to their stores. Fruit vendors, errand runners… it all seemed so surreal to her. Even prior to her parents' deaths, she'd never seen anything quite like this.

"As ninja, we get to see the darkest and most despicable things in the world," said Naruto. He nodded at the village around him. "And this is what we get in return. For our secrecy, our skill, our power, our knowledge, and our sheer ability to stomach things that no human should ever know, we get a peace and liveliness that few others have."

"I can see that," said Sakura. There was a peace permeating the village and its citizens as they frolicked beneath the sun. The children, especially, seemed like a second, newborn sun.

And to think, she'd been working to take all of that away from them by killing their strongest ninja…

"You're a strange man, Naruto-san," said Sakura. Naruto shrugged.

"I'd rather be strange than ordinary," he said evenly. "But what makes you say that?"

"This…" said Sakura, waving a hand to indicate the people and buildings around them. "This happiness, this joy… it's because of you. As a leader, you're the pillar of strength for your village and its people. And yet, I was the one who tried to tear down that pillar."

"Even if what you say is true," said Naruto. "I can be replaced. If I were to die, the people of the village _would_ persevere. We do _not_ live on the strength of one man, one woman, one leader. Our 'king' is _not_ the Hokage. Our king, the most important piece on the board for us, is the _people_ of this village. The children, _they_ are our future, and what we must protect above and beyond all else, including our pride, our country, and ourselves. _None_ of that compares to the importance of the people we protect."

Sakura stared, wide-eyed at the proclamation. The conviction in those words… the sheer force of will behind them…

Suddenly, Sakura truly understood. More than being liked, more than being strong… Naruto was Hokage because he had the determination necessary to do whatever it took to lookout for his people and protect them.

"You…" said Sakura softly. She smiled, looking down. "You're really something else, aren't you?"

And, of course, it was time for Naruto to revert to type—the type that had caused him to be viewed as clueless and annoying when he was younger.

"Huh?"

"Oh, be quiet," said Sakura. "Now come on, we're still on tour, remember?"

* * *

Sakura sighed, lying on her bed that night.

The day spent in Naruto's company had been enjoyable, to say the least. He'd shown her quite a bit of the village, and taken her to the Ichiraku Ramen Stand for lunch. The Ichiraku's were among the first people to show Naruto kindness, something he still appreciated to this day.

And for dinner, he'd taken her to one of the fanciest restaurants in the village. The food there was perhaps the best and most exotic she'd ever had.

How had she come to this?

**—Flashback—**

"_Come on, now, little girl, what do you have to live for anymore?" asked the man, leering down at her with a sadistic grin. Sakura trembled._

"_Just leave me alone!" she cried, part of her hoping someone would hear her cry and come to help._

_But no one would come, for there was no one out here, in the back alleys of this village, at this time of night._

"_Now, now," said the man, reaching forward. Sakura fell back, her hand landing on a knife lying on the ground. It was dull, but it was something._

_Grabbing the knife, she brought it up and swiped at the man's hand. He withdrew, hissing at the sting as the dull knife hit him, though it didn't draw blood._

"_You stupid bitch!" shouted the man. "I was going to let you enjoy this, but now I'm just gonna make it painful for you!" He took a step forward… and suddenly fell over, dead, a knife lodged in his throat._

"_Disgusting," came a cold voice before a dark figure spit on the corpse. Sakura backed away fearfully, and the man looked at her._

"_Pathetic," he said softly. "But I suppose… yes…" He knelt down to look Sakura in the eye, and held out a hand to her. "Come with me," he said. "Come with me, and I'll show you how to take care of yourself, and the proper way to live." Hesitantly, Sakura, who had nothing to live for, reached out and took his hand._

_From that day forward, she was trained by her new master in the art of the assassin._

**00000000000000000000000000000— End Flashback—00000000000000000000000000000**

Sakura opened her eyes, suppressing a snort at the memory. 'Proper way to live' indeed. She'd seen the real truth today.

Sakura rolled over, and hugged her pillow tightly. Her eyes drifted closed as she drifted to sleep. Just before she fell into oblivion, she whsipered a single name with affection she'd never before known.

"Naruto-kun…"

* * *

**A/N: Well, there you go. A bit more on how Sakura became an assassin is shown here, but details will have to wait.**

**I am, sadly, a little lacking in inspiration for this story. To be honest, my favorite type of story has always been Gundam fanfics, which I seem to have a unique talent for, regarding the OCs and OMSs. Thus, most of my focus has been on my newest fanfic "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED The White Queen". For that, and the lack of work put into this fanfic as a result, I apologize. It's best for me to work when I'm properly inspired and motivated to write, which is why I have so many fanfics and so many end up on hiatus. I post them, mostly, because if I didn't, I'd probably never go anywhere with them, even if, say, it turned out to be the world's greatest fanfic. And I need to post before I lose interest, or it does no good.**

**Well, in any event, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yes, I'm still alive, and so is this fic. It's been quite awhile since I did any real work on this, but I have very good reason for that.**

**The Naruto universe has been shifting a lot recently, and more information on various characters has come to light. Despite my alterations to the story, I still want to try to keep true to the original as well. I'm not gonna go back and rewrite old stuff--but I am gonna be slow on this, as more and more about the Naruto world comes to light. So, please, bear with me on this.**

**Anyways, as a bit of treat for you, this chapter is my longest yet for this story, and I alter the playing field and style a little from what you've seen previously. For the most part, the tone of this chapter is as dark as chapter one, and it serves to fill in a touch more backstory, as well as give some details on the current situation the characters face.**

**Also, please note that I do introduce an OC here. This was unavoidable--I can only do so much with canon characters alone, especially in a setting like this. The OC is mentioned frequently in the chapter, and she'll have some significant impact here or there, but for the most part is related to the backstory. I'd guess that she'll shift into the background almost completely two or three chapters down the road. For those who dislike OCs, I apologize. However, when I thought on what I wanted to do for this chapter, I realized that an OC was necessary to fill a particular role. Again, for those who don't enjoy OCs, I apologize (the biggest issue with my fanfics is usually directed towards OCs).**

**One final thing I'd like to make clear: with this story, I wanted to focus heavily on the characters, their interactions, and their growth. You're not gonna see much, if any, action in this story. Fights and missions will be summarized after the fact. Any action in this story will likely be focused on spars between characters. That's all.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or Assassin's Creed... I only mention that second one cause it's what motivated me to write this in the first place. Also, this is the same disclaimer as chapter three--I copied and pasted because I was lazy.  
**

* * *

"So… how many students hopes have you dashed this time?" asked Naruto evenly, concealing the smile he wanted to direct at the Jōnin instructors. Each shifted slightly, even Kakashi, who looked up from his book.

"They got nowhere fast," he said before returning his attention to his book. Ordinarily, Naruto would've destroyed the book, but this was one of the few situations where he let the matter go.

"They gave into fate," commented Hyūga Neji lightly. The translation? They'd failed—big time.

"A whole lot of nothing," said Higurashi Tenten, Neji's girlfriend, with a slight shrug and a sigh.

"Really? Well, at least my team passed," grumbled Inuzuka Kiba.

"That's because it was your first time and you went too easy on them," said Ino with a small sigh, leaning against the wall, though she wasn't actually among the instructors.

"Hey, I had to go easy on them, I haven't been in top form since that last operation!"

"I know," said Ino. "I was there, remember? But, moronic dog that you are, your retort seems to have spaced the fact that your performance was not cut enough for you to be that easy."

"Uh…"

Akamaru, Kiba's ninken partner, barked at the recently promoted Jōnin, who wisely shut his mouth in response.

A short while later, the Jōnin instructors left. Naruto was disappointed to learn that only two teams had passed the final graduation exam this year, especially with the level of potential many of the students had. Oh well, sometimes, they'd have to let potential be wasted. If they couldn't show that critical quality required by Konoha, they had no business learning to become a ninja.

"How has she been coming along?" asked Naruto. Ino, the only other occupant of the room after the instructors left, shifted slightly. She was growing increasingly uncomfortable with the Hokage's interest in the pink-haired assassin, but knew there was little she could do about it.

"She's been doing well," said Ino after a brief hesitation. "Tsunade-sama and Kurenai-sensei have been working her hard, and she's too exhausted to talk most of the time when she's free, but she seems happier."

Naruto nodded slightly, expecting as much. It had been a month since he'd seen Sakura, as both of them were now quite busy, Sakura with her intensified training, Naruto with the influx of missions and the graduating academy class.

"Come in, Yahiko," said Naruto a moment later as the former Ame nin was about to knock on the door. Sighing lightly at the Hokage's habit, Yahiko opened the door to see Naruto eyeing him expectantly, Ino standing nervously off to the side. Yahiko bowed slightly before staring the Hokage in the eye.

"The Akimichi Team has returned," he said simply. Naruto stiffened slightly, sitting straighter in his chair in alarm. Akimichi Chōji's team wasn't scheduled to return for another nine days, at least. Something that could cause Chōji to abandon his task and return to Konoha early concerned Naruto greatly.

"Understood," said Naruto, flaring his chakra to call Shizune to him. His adoptive sister, perhaps sensing the urgency of the situation, immediately flew into the room. "Shizune, I want you to clear my schedule for the day. As soon as Chōji gets hear, send him in. I've got a bad feeling about this."

Although caught off-guard by the orders, there was no mistaking that authoritative tone Naruto had taken, and Shizune had learned long ago to trust in her adoptive brother.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," she said, turning around and rushing to carry out his orders.

"Yahiko, please return to your watch duties until further notice," said Naruto. "Ino, please inform Hinata that Yahiko will be working around the clock for an unknown length of time, and put the hospital on alert that Chōji's team may have injuries. Once you're done, return here immediately. Depending on what Chōji has to report, I may need your help."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," said both Jōnins in unison before disappearing with Shunshin. Naruto sighed slightly, leaning back in his chair and spinning it slightly to look out the window at the rain falling down on his home.

Akimichi Chōji was among the first members of the Konoha Twelve to achieve Chūnin rank. An Akimichi youth to the core as a Genin, after Sasuke's defection, Chōji, like the others who'd hunted the traitorous Uchiha down, had trained himself to the brink, and was promoted to Chūnin at the next exam. By the time he was fifteen, he was preparing to take the Jōnin exam, and along with Naruto, passed the exam, with only Hyūga Neji beating the two of them to the cut. Chōji was just shy of being an S-class Nin, and was Naruto's first friend, owing to them both being outcasts in their own way, as well as the incredibly kind treatment Naruto received from almost all members of the Akimichi Clan.

Naruto sighed again. Only a very large threat to Konoha could prompt the incredibly loyal Akimichi to return early from his routine duties. Of those threats, several of them put Chōji and his team at risk if encountered. Naruto shuddered at the thought of his friend having to face Orochimaru, Akatsuki or Sasuke with only two Chūnins and a Genin to help him. Chōji was remarkably strong, but he wasn't _that_ strong.

Naruto's fist unconsciously clenched.

"If you bastards have taken another of my friends…" whispered Naruto under his breath. "I swear I'll make you suffer."

* * *

"How is she?" asked Akimichi Chōji, glancing back at his teammates as they carried the injured woman.

"Not good," replied Hyūga Hanabi, who was in charge of keeping an eye on the woman's internal injuries with her Byakugan. "But her body does seem to be containing most of the damage. Treatment should be easy, once the jutsu's been sealed.

That was a relief. It seemed she would make it, then.

"As soon as we reach the village, give her to me," ordered Chōji, directing the words to Hatetsu, one the men carrying the injured woman. "I want the three of you to report to the hospital immediately. I'll take her to the Hokage—it'll be the fastest way of contacting Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama."

"Yes sir."

Chōji focused his attention forward again. Naruto had to know about this right away. There was only one technique that could possibly have inflicted the injuries this woman had received. And, to Chōji's knowledge, only one man who could perform that technique.

The problem was that Itachi was still in Konoha. There was no way he'd been the one to inflict _those_ wounds.

* * *

A short while later, Chōji was standing in the Hokage's office, Ino standing silently in a corner, waiting in case Naruto needed her, Jiraiya and Tsunade tending to the woman he'd brought in, and Naruto sitting calmly at his desk with Itachi standing several feet to the right of the desk. The young blonde Hokage gestured to the unconscious form on the small couch in the office.

"So, care to explain what's going on here?" he asked tonelessly. Not that Naruto didn't care for the wellbeing of this apparent victim, but right now, he was all business.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," said Chōji. "As you know, my team has been on patrol for the last three weeks. Around ten this morning, we discovered her while patrolling our border with Oto no Kuni." Naruto's eyes narrowed at the mention of the country Orochimaru ruled. "We weren't able to determine what had happened initially. I asked Hanabi to examine her with the Byakugan, and we discovered… well…" Chōji hesitated slightly, eyes flickering for the briefest of instants to Itachi. In that time, Jiraiya performed the seal Chōji had requested, and his eyes widened as he realized what jutsu had been killing this woman's body.

"Amaterasu!" hissed Jiraiya. Tsunade's and Ino's eyes widened, Itachi stiffened, Chōji gave the smallest of confirming nods, and Naruto bit off a vicious curse, turning his attention to Itachi.

"Is it possible?" he asked the Uchiha. Itachi shifted uncomfortably, shaking his head.

"I don't know," replied the onyx-eyed young man. "I honestly don't understand how that's possible. To my knowledge, Madara himself never possessed the technique, and even if he did, his powers have been fading—I can't see him using Amaterasu in that state. But I don't know how Sasuke could've obtained the Mangekyō Sharingan either."

"Are you saying there's another Mangekyō running loose out there?" asked Jiraiya, turning to face the man who, for a long time, had been his most important spy.

"I don't think so," said Tsunade suddenly, shifting to face the others after she'd finished tending to the internal injuries. They looked at her curiously before she continued. "I recognize this woman."

"Really?" asked Jiraiya, glancing at the woman in question. Now that he thought about it, as color returned to her face, she actually didn't seem to be that old—in fact, she looked to be about Naruto's age, but she seemed to be in horrible condition, her red hair tattered, tangled and uneven, her body clearly scarred. But there wasn't anything familiar to him about her. "I don't."

"You never met," said Tsunade. "And it's actually her chakra signature I recognized. It's a very unique signature that only one person ever possessed." However, despite everything she was saying, Tsunade was very, _very_ pale.

"What's wrong then, Tsunade-sama?" asked Ino after a moment's silence. Tsunade took in a deep breath before voicing an answer that turned everyone in the room as pale as Tsunade herself.

"Seventeen years ago, this woman was killed fighting the Kyūbi."

* * *

Four days. It had been four days since Sakura had seen Tsunade. Four days since Kurenai had suddenly had to leave in the middle of training, accompanied by the message that they didn't know when someone could get back to teaching Sakura. Four days that this rain had continued without pause.

Four days since an unmistakable air of urgency had overtaken the village.

And Sakura? As in the dark as all of the civilians, Genin and most of the Chūnin were.

Resigning herself—and missing the company of Ino, Tsunade, Kurenai and most especially Naruto—Sakura had taken to passing the dull days by with the training exercises she'd been taught before all of this started, and had spent much of the rest of her free time either trying to learn more from books and other more secondhand sources, and sitting around at Ichiraku Ramen, where Teuchi and Ayame both treated her warmly.

It was during one such visit to the ramen stand that things finally changed.

"What do you think is going on?" questioned Ayame as all three stared in the direction of the gates, where the commotion seemed to be coming from.

"I don't know," said Sakura quietly, standing up. "But I'm gonna find out."

* * *

Naruto walked down the rainy streets of Konoha, surrounded by his elite guard, their destination the gate that an old friend now approached.

When Tsunade had confirmed beyond any possible doubt the identity of the woman Chōji rescued, Naruto had immediately called all Jōnin and Tokubetsu Jōnin in the village to an immediate, emergency meeting, along with sending recall orders out to all forces in the field.

Tenmachi Shion had been one of Konoha's most promising kunoichi—one who'd been taken on as something of an apprentice by the Yondaime Hokage. She'd been among those to last the longest fighting against the Kyūbi's rampage, a fight to which she'd dedicated the last few days of her life, fighting from the first moment right to the end with only small, short breaks. According to Jiraiya, who recognized the name even though he'd never seen Shion himself, she'd used herself as some sort of offering to lock the Kyūbi in place long enough for the Yondaime to bring all the necessary resources—including a vessel in the form of Naruto—to seal the demon fox once and for all. When Naruto looked to Yōko itself for answers, all he got was silence and the sense of satisfied anger.

Naruto had not shared this last bit with anyone but Shikamaru. His friend understood quite well when Naruto wanted to keep something hushed up, and the blond Hokage had needed Shikamaru's genius mind. The hidden message in the demon fox's satisfaction coupled with anger was that Shion had enraged the Kyūbi in a way that only two others ever had—the Yondaime and Naruto himself. And somehow, the fox had made her pay dearly for that.

Naruto shook his head to clear it of his musings as he arrived at the gate just as it began to open to welcome their guests.

A few minutes later, the gates were open, and through them stepped one of Naruto's truest friends—and, for a time, his greatest enemy.

"Welcome to Konohagakure no Sato, Kazekage-sama," said Naruto formally, giving a slight bow of the head to his fellow Jinchūriki. Sabaku no Gaara nodded in acknowledgement before giving a slightly greater bow than Naruto had.

"Thank you for allowing us to come, Hokage-sama," responded Gaara with equal formality as he straightened up. Gaara was Naruto's own age, and like the blond, the dark red-haired teen was a Bijū host. Unlike Naruto, he'd been made a host by his father, the then-Kazakage, as a weapon harboring the Ichibi no Shukaku, which had been in the possession of Sunagakure under a powerful seal for some time before that.

"Kazekage-sama," said Sasori, bowing to the man who'd pardoned him for his past crimes against his home village. Gaara nodded to Sasori in acknowledgement—the puppet master saved his life several years prior, when Akatsuki set its sights on his Bijū.

"You seem to be doing well for yourself, Naruto-kun," said Sabaku no Temari, Gaara's sister, stepping forward lightly. It was at this point that Sakura arrived, just in time to hear how Temari addressed the Hokage. The pink-haired assassin frowned slightly. "You finally reached that dream of yours. That's good. You've earned it."

"Thank you for saying that, Temari-san," said Naruto politely. "And I'm glad all of you arrived so soon after I sent my message. For now, we should return to the Hokage Tower. This meeting is not something that should be held in the public eye."

"Agreed," said Gaara, tilting his head in the slightest of nods. "The information you sent is… troubling." Naruto nodded in agreement before turning around and walking back in the direction of the Hokage Tower, the Suna entourage of Gaara, Temari, their brother Kankurō, Gaara's old sensei, Baki, and a once-shy and timid girl, Matsuri, who'd been brought out of her shell by Gaara. These five were the only people from Suna who were trusted with Konoha's location, and outside of those who'd betrayed the village, they were the only ones besides citizens of the village who knew of its location.

As they left, the villagers who'd witnessed those events began whispering frantically among themselves. Sakura was also left stunned, unable to believe that the Kazekage had come to Konoha.

At that moment, Sakura felt a familiar presence beside her and turned to see Ino staring at her. Ino jerked her head, and Sakura, understanding the message, followed the blonde kunoichi out of the crowd and in the direction of Sakura's apartment.

* * *

Within the sewer-like pit of the Kyūbi no Yōko's prison, the demon fox lay in contemplation, its nine tails swinging through the dark air.

Seventeen years. Seventeen long years, it had been imprisoned here, in this dark realm. And after all that time, Yōko was witness to something more satisfying than anything the demon had seen in its long, long life.

The end result of its final, true act of retribution: the suffering of Tenmachi Shion. That woman infuriated the demon fox in a way nothing else ever had, a nuisance that it never seemed able to swat down, as persistent as a cockroach, as evasive as a ghost, and with a sting like blackfire. It was the mistake of giving into this furious rage that had been Yōko's undoing, as Shion gave the last of the life in her broken body to momentarily bind the Kyūbi in place.

In retribution, the Kyūbi restored her to a life of neverending torment. The Namikaze brat would never get anything out of his bastard father's prodigy—the girl's mind would've been broken long ago.

That was the crux of Yōko's troubles now. It was within the demon's power to restore Shion, at least partially, and within her mind was buried the secrets to the Yondaime's most powerful techniques, and the secrets of the Shodaime Hokage that could potentially see Madara defeated, once and for all.

But to do so would be to aid humans that it hated more than anything it had ever encountered in its long existence. It would never allow Madara to capture Naruto—Yōko had prepared a special poison to be released throughout Naruto's body should the boy ever be captured. After all, there was a unique adventure to be had in death and the unknown, but all that would await the Kyūbi should Akatsuki capture it was oblivion.

Eventually, the Kyūbi decided to simply watch how events unfolded from here. It was particularly interested in seeing what sort of animal her torment had turned Shion into.

* * *

"Ino… what's going on?" asked Sakura, sitting down on her bed as the blonde kunoichi paced nervously back and forth.

"I'm not sure anyone really knows anymore," said Ino, finally sighing and sitting down in a chair, resting her head in her hands and rubbing her temples. "There are signs that Sasuke has grown even more powerful and might now be on the move, but it could just as easily be Akatsuki setting us on a false trail."

"O… kay…" said Sakura slowly. "But this level of tension seems a bit much."

Ino sighed. "It is," she said. "I can't give you any details, but we discovered something else of great concern to us."

"Really?" questioned Sakura, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. However, she knew better than to get deeply involved in matters of the higher-ups—it was times like these that her past as an assassin came in handy, helping her to handle being in the dark.

"How would you react… if someone who died before you were born suddenly appeared, completely unchanged from the time of her death?"

Sakura stared at Ino in complete confusion.

"What do you mean?"

Ino sighed and shook her head. She'd said too much already.

* * *

"This woman is not your primary concern."

Naruto hid the slightest of smiles. The Hokage explained to his counterpart the situation, as far as they understood it, but the red-haired Jinchūriki had seen straight through to the hidden message.

There was more that they didn't understand, information that they could only make assumptions on.

"Even if a Mangekyō wielder isn't responsible, I don't doubt for an instant that this isn't a coincidence," said Naruto evenly. "After seventeen years, why now? What's so different about now from a year ago? I'm Hokage, we're a little closer to war… but that's all. In the last five years, we've experienced more peacetime conflict than at any other period in our known history. And at the center of it all, Konoha. Recent conflicts have been orchestrated by two of Konoha's three greatest enemies, and our third has been getting restless for some time now. I don't believe in this sort of coincidence."

Gaara nodded in agreement, letting out a small sigh.

"Then your sole concern with this woman is the information she possesses," said Gaara. Naruto glanced away. It was the truth, much as everyone disliked that fact.

"This could be a sign that Sasuke has finally achieved the Mangekyō Sharingan," said Naruto. "At that point, he could confront Itachi directly, as long as he doesn't make the mistake of overusing it early on. That makes him extraordinarily dangerous—there are only two or three shinobi under my command who could defeat Itachi, so if Sasuke really has acquired the Mangekyō Sharingan, it puts a severe limit on our options for dealing with him."

"And then there's Madara as well," said Kisame, grimacing slightly as attention in the office focused on him. "I honestly don't know how we're gonna deal with him. When I was a boy, I respected him a lot as the Nidaime—to be honest, I still have a lot of respect for his power, even if I think he's an insane son of a bitch. The problem is that we have no idea how to fight him. The few times I've seen him fight, he proved completely invulnerable to attack."

Standing next to the window, Yahiko shifted slightly. Naruto and Gaara both noticed, eyeing him curiously. The former Ame-nin sighed.

"I have one idea for how to battle him," he said. "But it won't be easy."

"Anything that can hurt the Uchiha at this point, yeah?" muttered Deidara, though his voice came out clearly in the silence. Yahiko shifted again.

"Nagato might know how to fight Madara."

* * *

**Author's Notes: This is my way of clearing up my previous discussions about Pein, to account for the information revealed on him (as well as forgiving him for everything he did, since he brought everyone back to life). I had, initially, a very dark impression of Nagato, and while I tried to stay sympathetic and open-minded, after he killed Shizune, the metaphorical gloves were off. Now, as I said, I'm not gonna change anything I wrote previously--rather, circumstances regarding previously mentioned stuff will be altered.**

**As for Shion--no, she can't use any of Minato's techniques, though I might allow her to have been able to use the Rasengan. She knows how the Hiraishin works, but she's unable to use it herself. The same is true for a variety of other techniques. And I can guarantee you, right now, that there's no chance in hell she could ever achieve overpowered status--you'll understand why in a chapter or two.**

**Anyways, at this point, the story picks up a bit more. This new tension is likely to drive Naruto and Sakura deeper into their relationship, as the onslaught of chaos and destruction approaches.**

**Alright, I've given everyone plenty on the background today. At this point, I'm tired, so I can't say when the next update for a story will be posted, but I think I should have one up for _Naruto: Bloodlines_ sometime soon. Also, a fair warning: I will be taking down half of my current Naruto fics, specifically _Yondaime's Legacy_ (both versions) and _Final Wish_. On that note, fans of my Inuyasha fics, be warned that I will taking down the bulk of those soon as well.**

**Okay, announcements and other notes out of the way... good.**

**I hope everyone enjoyed it, and please leave a review!  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Wow. These updates for my Naruto fanfics just keep coming. They're really flowing right now. Kind of weird, really. Oh well, no one here is complaining, right?**

**This is, by far, the longest chapter of _Sakura's Rebirth_ yet. Things begin to advance quickly, but a lot of obstacles still lie in the paths of each character. But I suppose that's half the fun, right?**

**I'm not gonna bore anyone here, though. Let's get on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Insert standard Naruto and Assassin's Creed disclaimers here.  
**

* * *

It had now been a week since Akimichi Chōji returned with the living body of a deceased Konoha Nin. It had been a week that Yahiko's barrier of rain had fallen on Konoha and the surrounding area.

It had been a week since the Rokudaime Hokage began preparations for the Fourth Great Shinobi War.

In his office, Naruto let out a small sigh as he read the message that had arrived moments ago. Communications between the Hidden Villages was achieved through their outposts. First, the village sending the message would have it sent to one of their outposts, who would then relay it to an outpost of the receiver, from which it was finally sent to the destination. It was slower than a direct message, but that was how the system worked.

"Well?" asked Gaara, the only one in the office with Naruto at the moment.

"It seems I was right," replied the blond grimly. "Mei is losing power within Kirigakure swiftly. She's had no luck tracking Madara down." Naruto's fist clenched. "That bastard… she's spent years repairing the damage he and the Sandaime Mizukage did, and he's tearing it all apart…"

"Will you offer her and her followers refuge?"

"I've considered it," admitted Naruto, before letting out a light sigh. "The situation's grim. The Yondaime Tsuchikage was reasonable enough that she might've listened to our warnings of the threat posed by Akatsuki, but the Godaime is fueled only by his hatred. He's placed the blame for the loss of their Jinchūriki on us, the fool."

Gaara let out the tiniest sigh, barely noticeable even to Naruto. The situation was indeed very bad—Iwagakure was building allies against Konoha, intent on paying the mightiest of the Shinobi Villages back for their humiliation in the Third War. Beyond that, thanks to the Akatsuki, Kumogakure had been severely weakened, and even lost Nii Yugito, the Nibi Jinchūriki to the organization. Naruto also strongly suspected that Madara, Orochimaru or Sasuke would ally with Iwa. Orochimaru was the best scenario there, because Akatsuki and Sasuke would be, more or less, out of the way. But those two groups would have no qualms about working together, and if Akatsuki joined Iwa, it would pit Ame and Kiri against Konoha and its allies as well.

On top of that, even if Akatsuki would have to keep the Yonbi, Gobi and Nanabi hidden, they would still be able to use the power of the Nibi, Sanbi and Rokubi against Konoha were they to ally with the Godaime Tsuchikage.

The allies each had a single Jinchūriki, which would need to be kept almost exclusively at home for the protection of the country. Discounting Naruto and Gaara, the Hokage and Kazekage, the last Jinchūriki was Kirābī, the younger brother of Ē, the Yondaime Raikage. Naruto had only met Kirābī a few times in 'neutral' locations outside of their respective villages, but he considered the dangerous Jinchūriki to be a friend, regardless.

Naruto took a slight breath before opening his eyes to reveal emotionless blue orbs. For the moment, Namikaze Naruto had ceased to exist, and in his place was the Rokudaime Hokage, the legendary Konoha no Kin no Kitsune.

"Kazekage-sama," said Naruto. Gaara immediately stiffened, understanding that, for the moment, his friend was gone. "Gather your ninja and return to Sunagakure. Ready all your forces for a foe like none you've ever faced. Farewell."

Gaara nodded. "Understood, Hokage-sama." With that, the Ichibi Jinchūriki vanished in a swirl of sand.

Naruto flared his chakra, and seconds later, his office was filled by the remnants of the Konoha Twelve, accompanied by the Kanshisha Nananin, Yahiko, the Sandaime Hokage, and the three surviving Erīto Jōnin that had taught the Konoha Twelve.

"As of this moment, you are all suspended from your regular duties," said Naruto, his tone, bearing, everything making it evident how serious he was. "You are each to pursue shadow clone training to your absolute limits. I don't care about your qualms, either, Gai, or that you three are retired, Jiraiya-sama, Tsunade-sama, Hiruzen-sama. War is on the horizon, and we will be ready for it."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

"Get started," ordered Naruto. "Jiraiya-sama, Tsunade-sama, Yahiko-san, Lee-san, Neji-san, you stay."

There was a communal nod, and in the next instant, the occupants of Naruto's office fell to six.

"Jiraiya, Yahiko," said Naruto sternly. "In addition to your training, I want you too gather as much information as you can from Amegakure-no-Sato. If possible, try to arrange a meeting with Konan. If anyone can give me the chance to speak to Nagato directly, it will be her. This is an S-class mission."

"Hai." And with that, the two disappeared.

"Lee, as of this moment, you will be acting as a Taijutsu instructor," continued Naruto. "Any shinobi or kunoichi outside the medical corps of below Jōnin-level Taijutsu is to be brought up to the next level." Naruto's eyes hardened. "This, too, is an S-class mission. I want it treated with the utmost seriousness."

"Understood, Hokage-sama," said Lee, lacking any of his usual flare before he disappeared as well. Naruto then turned his attention to Neji.

"Neji, you are to take over Taijutsu training of all ninja in the medical corps," said Naruto. "That includes Haruno Sakura." Neji and Tsunade both shifted slightly at the mention of the former assassin.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," said Neji before leaving himself. Finally, Naruto turned his attention to Tsunade.

"How is she?"

"I honestly don't know," said Tsunade. "We've done as thorough a study of her as we can, and we can't seem to understand. Whatever happened to her… she's…" Tsunade paused, closing her eyes and sighing.

"Hokage-sama, Tenmachi Shion is immortal," said the blonde. Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Explain."

"Her healing factor is over a hundred times greater than your own," said Tsunade. "Her chakra is presently sealed away almost completely, but the level is measured not by ninja ranks, but by the standards of the Bijū. Her cells can also reproduce, multiply and otherwise regenerate endlessly, meaning her lifespan isn't shortened by accelerated regeneration the way ours would be. In fact, that appears to be why she hasn't aged. Her body is also impervious to conventional Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, and Jiraiya did a complete study, proving that her body also repels all forms of Fūinjutsu—he was only able to seal **Amaterasu** because he was targeting an already foreign substance, but it seems her body would've smothered the flames before too much longer."

Silence filled the room as Naruto rolled this new information over in his head.

It didn't make any sense. Naruto and Shikamaru had concluded that, more than anyone else, the Kyūbi blamed Shion for the sealing, having halted its rampage across Hi no Kuni for the few critical moments needed. So why would it make her invincible?

And if that were the case, where had she been the last eighteen years?

* * *

_Pain…_

_It wouldn't go away. It wouldn't leave her. Why? What had she done to deserve this?_

_No… that was the wrong question._

_The real question wasn't why was this happening to her._

_The real question was why could she think clearly when her entire being had been broken long, long ago?_

* * *

_What happened?_

This question repeated itself, over and over and over again in the minds of every Konoha Nin as their standard training turned suddenly brutal. Haruno Sakura, in particularly, wanted to know what was going on.

Never in Konoha's history could anyone recall a time when their training regime was increased to this level. Not only that, but the Kanshisha Nananin and Konoha Eight had been seen under even heavier training regimes, when several of their members weren't busy putting others through training even more intense than normal.

Even Rock Lee, who was legendary for his enthusiasm and eccentricity, was treating the situation with a deadly seriousness that worried the other Konoha Nin.

It wasn't long before rumors began to spread. Some rumors claimed the return of a dead enemy of Konoha, while others claimed a Konoha hero had returned from the dead, and it had the Hokage on edge.

Even more dreadful was the rumor that they were preparing for the inevitable: the Fourth Great Shinobi World War.

* * *

It was Sunday, four days after the increased training began, and today, everyone was told to simply relax. The rain that had poured down for more than a week had finally let up, and the Hokage had informed them that he would be explaining what was going on that evening. He would be keeping no secrets from his people.

Sakura's admiration for the man seemed to grow with every action he took.

Although her muscles were sore from the intense, nearly nonstop training, Sakura was restless, and was wandering around the village. There were very few nin out, as not even the rookie Genin had been spared the brutal training. Hyūga Neji was a slave driver, but from what she heard, Rock Lee, who was teaching those outside the medical corps, was even worse.

"I see that you are up and about," came a familiar voice off to the side. Sakura turned to see the legendary guardian of the Hyūga clan standing there, watching her with his pupilless eyes.

"Neji-sensei," said Sakura with a small bow. Neji gave her a small smirk, as close as he got to a smile, and stepped away from the wall against which he'd been leaning, motioning her to follow him down the streets of Konoha.

"You may want to watch your back," he said mildly. Sakura looked confused, so the Hyūga prodigy elaborated. "There are more than a few kunoichi who have become weary of you."

"Why? I'm still barely at Chūnin level."

"Because you have captured the interest of the Hokage," said Neji without missing a beat. Sakura's step faltered slightly, but she recovered quickly.

"You can't be serious," said Sakura.

"I am completely serious," said Neji. "I've taken a particular interest in you myself. Naruto protects his friends passionately, and they return the gesture. However, he has kept everyone, even his adoptive family, at a safe emotional distance for years now."

"You mean…?"

"He has allowed no one close to him since the Uchiha's betrayal," said Neji, face twisting in uncharacteristic disgust at the mention of Sasuke as he led her to the training grounds. "You are the first to break that shell."

"What makes you say that?" asked Sakura.

"All of us can see it," said the Hyūga. "What you need to understand, Sakura-san, is that Naruto is precious to all of us. From his birth, he has protected this village, and saved many, many people from their own darkness, including myself."

"I…" said Sakura as they entered Training Ground 7. "I still don't understand him, or his history. Ino-san only gave me a brief overview."

Neji chuckled, coming to three distinctive posts, leaning against one of them.

"I suppose she would," he said. "Naruto has always been a man of the greatest determination. Even as a child, he could inspire those around him to new heights of courage and brilliance. He was overlooked a lot, but during the Chūnin Exams, he shined. When many were ready to give up, when most would've given in, he was the one who inspired everyone with his declaration of 'I will not give up'. He was the man who risked life and limb to save those he cared about, in a way none of us ever did. When we reached the final stage of the exam, he defeated an opponent everyone had thought superior to him, Inuzuka Kiba. Then, he defeated me, despite my continued proclamations that fate had decreed that I would be the victor. He followed that with a victory over yet another prodigy, Shino of the Aburame clan. Finally, in the final round of the Third Stage of the Chūnin Selection Exams, he faced what may have been the toughest opponent he has ever had to fight."

"Who?" asked Sakura, her curiosity piqued.

"Kazama Shiori," answered Neji softly as Sakura gasped. "It should come as no surprise that she would be such a formidable foe for him. By then, both knew the truth of their relationship, and both had taken after their parents. While Naruto was the spitting image of his father, Shiori was the spitting image of her mother. Where Naruto took after his mother in his youth, Shiori took after her father." Neji let out a small, mirthless laugh. "It was hopeless for him, of course. At least, that was what everyone thought. But some of us had a spark of hope, a belief that maybe, just maybe, Uzumaki Naruto would beat the odds once again. Shiori challenged him to never hold back, and he didn't. He declared, before the entire village, that he would prove himself worthy of being called a protector of Konoha. He inspired the entire village to his side in that moment."

"Konoha…" whispered Sakura. "Hokage… he's…"

"A true hero," said Neji softly. "More than anyone, he deserves happiness." Neji turned to focus his eyes on her. "And I believe that you shall be the one to bring it to him."

"Me?" whispered Sakura, unaware of the blush that had started to develop. Neji noticed, and hid a smirk.

"Yes," said Neji. "You, Naruto and Sasuke all have a great deal in common. There is common ground in your pasts. I believe that fate has chosen Naruto as a man who decides and changes destiny, and you and Sasuke are mirrors, reflecting on two paths. In Sasuke, there is the path of darkness, despair and hatred. In you, there is the path of light, hope… love. For when you were given that sparkle of hope, you seized it. The Uchiha shattered it."

"How?" whispered Sakura. "How can I be seen that way? I…"

"Do you truly believe you were forced into all of this?" said Neji softly. "Haruno Sakura… you were given a choice. And you chose to accept a second chance, the same second chance the Uchiha threw away and trampled over with his own malice. In Sasuke, Naruto faces his opposite. In you, Naruto faces his own heart. Believe me, I know this. Naruto is my first and closest friend. Because of him, I am no longer blind. And I can see the way he feels about you… even if you both deny it."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because nobody deserves happiness as much as Naruto," said Neji. "And you can bring him that happiness. Now, I want you to look around. This is the where Naruto trained with his team in his youth. This training ground has a rich history that dates back to the Shodaime Hokage himself. It is where every Hokage trained in their youth, for even before Konoha's founding, the Senju clan used this area as a base and refuge."

Sakura stared at Neji, and steel soon formed in her eyes.

"Neji-sensei…" she said. "What task do you want from me today?"

Neji smiled, a genuine smile, the first she'd ever seen from him.

"Today… you take your first step on the path of the Ōkami Sennin," said Neji, assuming a Jūken stance and activating his Byakūgan. "Begin!"

* * *

Hours later, as dusk began to set in, the entire population of Konoha was gathered before the Hokage Tower. On the roof of the Tower, Naruto stood, surrounded by several important groups. Behind him were the Kanshisha Nananin. To Naruto's left stood the Council of the Shinobi Clans: Aburame Shibi, Akimichi Chōza, Hatake Kakashi, Hyūga Hiashi, Inuzuka Tsume, Nara Shikaku, Uchiha Ayame and Yamanaka Inoichi. To his right stood the Civilian Council, made up of civilians from minor clans: Amaya Yasu, Harada Shusaku, Kaima Gombei, Morioka Otsu, Namiki Yatsuhito, Nonomura Kichi and Takeda Keiki. Directly to Naruto's sides were the four elders of Konoha: the retired Sarutobi Hiruzen, his teammates Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, and his effective nemesis, the warhawk Danzō.

Sakura, worn out from her training with Neji, stared up at Naruto with the utmost respect and admiration. Her understanding of him grew every day, and looking at him now, she saw what so many others had come to see: Namikaze Naruto was not a man, a demon, or even an angel.

He was the God of the Shinobi.

"Good evening," said Naruto, his coat flapping lightly in the wind, voice projected to all present. "I have gathered everyone here today because I refuse to keep secrets from the people of this village."

"War is upon us," continued Naruto. Despite the shock of the confirmation, no one made a sound, enraptured in the presence of the Hokage and understanding that so long as he stood, Konoha would not fall. "Our enemies are numerous. Across our world, we have only four allies: the countries of the Wind, the Water, the Lightning and the Wave. Yet, not all of our allies will remain that way for long. The people of Mizu no Kuni have fallen under the sway of Konoha's greatest enemy, one of our own founders, Uchiha Madara. Konoha, Suna and Kumo will stand alone against the world of the shinobi. I will not lie to you about how grim our situation is. And that is why we must become stronger."

"The strength of a country is measured by the strength of the Hidden Village within, and the strength of the village is measured by the strength of its people," continued Naruto. "It is for this reason that we must become stronger than ever. We must be able to defend not only ourselves, but also our country and our allies. We must be ready not only to defend, but also to take the battle to the enemy. The conflict that now approaches is born from the hatred of fools guided by their lust for power. It is something that we will not stand for."

"I have faith in each and every one of you to do your part," said Naruto. "But I have no desire to see lives needlessly lost. When war does come—and believe me, it _will_ come—we will have several priority targets that must be eliminated before it can be ended. You all know of whom I speak."

Naruto straightened up before continuing. "There are other matters of importance that must be attended to as well," he said. "First, there have been rumors floating around that a deceased kunoichi of our village has been recently discovered, unconscious, but otherwise alive and well. I do not know how these rumors started, but I can assure you that they are true, and that is all."

Naruto then sighed. "And this brings us to the final matter of the day," he said. "As of this moment, I, Namikaze Naruto, Konoha no Gin no Kitsune, Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, in my capacity as leader of this village, and with the backing of the Council of the Shinobi Clans, announce the dissolution of the Civilian Council."

"What?!"

Similar cries of outrage rose from the Civilian Council, but Naruto silenced them all with a simple glare.

"You cannot do this!" objected Harada. Naruto's eyes locked onto the man, who visibly shrunk back.

"I just did," he growled. "For years, the Civilian Council did its job well, but in recent times, you have overstepped your bounds, time and again. Perhaps you have forgotten: Konoha is a Shinobi Village. The Civilian Council was a convenience, not a necessity, and now, it has become a problem."

"How dare you…!" started Nonomura, but Namiki threw a hand in front of the woman, motioning for silence as he stepped forward and gave a small bow.

"I understand and accept your decision, Hokage-sama," he said simply. Naruto gave the slightest nod. Unnoticed by almost all, his eyes darted to Inoichi, who gave an imperceptible nod.

Others of the Civilian Council continued to object, while Amaya and Kaima accepted his decision the same as Namiki. When Inoichi gave Naruto confirmation, he gave Namiki, Amaya and Kaima permission to leave, and ordered the remaining Civilian Councilors to stay.

"You've been observed right from the start," said Naruto. "Yamanaka-sama has given me all the confirmation I need. As of this moment, Harada Shusaku, Morioka Otsu, Nonomura Kichi and Takeda Keiki, you are stripped of all rights as citizens of Konoha. Once all the formalities have been dealt with you, you will be taken to one of our outposts. You can pursue your interests again… _outside_ this village." No one missed the emphasis.

And Sakura could feel it in the air around her. Naruto had just made things in the village much clearer… and his already endless support from the people of Konoha had grown over the course of only a few minutes.

* * *

Another week passed, and the Konoha Nin pushed themselves even harder than before, none willing to disappoint their Hokage. The Kanshisha Nananin and Konoha Eight took it upon themselves to train as many ninja as they could to the brink and beyond.

Meanwhile, the elders of Konoha likewise pushed themselves. Though all of them were too old to be a true asset, that mattered little. Even Danzō, who disagreed with many of the policies of the various Hokage, had no qualms with what was now happening, even as it weakened his chances.

Danzō was a shady individual who desperately sought the leadership of Konoha. He would make great sacrifices to get there, but there was a point where even drew the line. Regardless of his methods, Danzō held Konoha's best interests at heart, although whether he thought those interests were the same as others felt was questionable. Regardless, Danzō knew it was time to concede to the policies of the Hokage, past and present. He was too old to have any hope of the world he envisioned coming to pass, and so, he would dedicate himself to the service of his home.

Though, that didn't mean he'd end his shadier policies entirely.

Naruto, meanwhile, sat in his office, handling his paperwork personally rather than through the use of shadow clones, instead sending the clones out for training purposes as he waited for the return of his top shinobi.

"You're late," he said, an instant before Jiraiya and Yahiko materialized in his office. Yahiko was quiet, while Jiraiya snorted.

"You knew the exact time we would be here," he said. "That's why you're in here doing paperwork, instead of outside, relaxing."

Naruto chuckled lightly, setting aside the paper he'd been looking over and leaning back slightly in his chair.

"Report," he said. The two men before him sighed.

"I'm afraid the situation isn't improving," said Jiraiya. "Iwagakure's counter-intelligence seems to have fallen in quality, so we were able to learn a bit there. It seems the Godaime is trying to decide between allying with Akatsuki and allying with Orochimaru. He's worried about the repercussions if people learn that the Akatsuki were the ones who took Roshi and Han. True, Iwa doesn't place any real value on the lives of their Jinchūriki, but that's still a lot of power lost."

"We had no luck with Amegakure," added Yahiko sadly. "Konan refused to meet with us. We did receive a message, though. Nagato's sworn that he'll kill you."

Naruto closed his eyes in exasperation. Nagato, or to be more precise, the man he had become, Pein, was the most stubborn man Naruto had ever known, and he was counting himself in that list. He was also very proud, though it was nothing compared to the sheer arrogance of men like Madara, Sasuke and Orochimaru. Naruto had broken the pride of all three on multiple occasions, and their sheer hatred evidenced just how important that was to them. At the very least, he knew that Pein's hatred didn't stem from his pride, though his pride still got in the way of reasoning with him, unless one were to jump through a lot of hoops.

"Look, Naruto," said Jiraiya. Naruto's eyes shifted, the only sign of his surprise at being addressed by name while he was working. "You need a break. Go and enjoy yourself while you can. Most people are taking every chance they get, but you're forgoing most. That's not a good example to set as a leader, nor is it the best for your health."

Somewhat reluctantly, Naruto nodded and stood up.

"You're right, Ero-sennin," he said softly. Yahiko chuckled while Jiraiya fumed at the nickname. "Hmm…"

* * *

Sakura ducked under the kick and retaliated with a punch of her own. Her opponent, knowing better than to try blocking, leapt away, rushing threw hand seals faster than the eye could see.

"**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu**!" cried Itachi before spitting a massive fireball Sakura's way. The rosette could've easily countered with her own Ninjutsu, but she'd been instructed to spar with Taijutsu alone.

Knowing that, she instead reared back her fist, gathered the maximum chakra level into that fist, and slammed it into the ground, releasing the chakra all at once into a massive and literally earth-shattering punch, kicking up dirt and rocks that shielded her from the flames as she leapt away, landing on a tree. Instantly, that tree came to life, a branch reaching out to grip Sakura's leg.

The ex-assassin responded by releasing a burst of precisely shaped chakra from her leg, cutting the wood before gathering a large amount of chakra in her feet. Wood splintered underneath her as she was launched away from the tree and instead landed on the waterfall, landing on it with a grace and precision that most would've found impossible on that particular surface, not slipping for an instant, as though she weren't standing on a raging waterfall.

Sakura heard the crackling of lightning and leapt away an instant before Kakashi's **Raikiri** could pierce her. The Erīto Jōnin flashed through forty-four hand seals in an instant.

"**Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu**!" cried the Copy Nin, Sharingan blazing as the water dragon formed and attempted to strike Sakura. The rosette watched calmly as several spheres of densely packed water blasted her way, and assumed a stance of the Taijutsu style taught to her by Tsunade. As the sphere approached, she lashed out with a punch, a kick, then two more punches in rapid succession, each strike shattering one of the spheres as it reached her. As she settled back into place, the water dragon itself landed, crashing into her.

But when the water fell, she was completely dry and unharmed.

Sakura leapt away as a punch landed where she'd been an instant earlier, shattering the ground. She rushed Tsunade's way and lashed out with a punch, which the blond blocked before kicking at Sakura. Rather than waste chakra for a proper deflection, the kunoichi-in-training spun aside, delivering a light blow to the back of Tsunade's leg, propelling it further in the direction it was going and knocking the retired Hokage off her feet.

Sakura let out a burst of chakra to push herself apart from Hyūga Neji as he approached too fast for the ordinary eye to see. Neji let loose with the **Hakke Rokujūyon Shō**—one of his most dangerous techniques. Because of the added distance, his first few strikes missed, nearly throwing him off, but Neji was a master of the Jūken like no other, and it was not for nothing that he was one of Konoha's S-class shinobi, effortlessly compensating and moving back to continue his assault.

Seeing this, Sakura was unable to do anything about the first eight strikes she received, but biting back a cry of pain, she lashed out. Neji cut off his attack and shifted into the **Hakkeshō Kaiten**. Sakura let out another burst of chakra to serve as a blanket from that whirling sphere as she was pushed back, before focusing chakra in her feet to launch herself into the air directly over the Hyūga prodigy. Neji saw what she was doing and halted his spin, leaping aside as Sakura landed with an earth shattering punch.

In the next moment, Sakura's opponents surrounded her. The rosette was breathing heavily, while her opponents weren't even mildly winded.

"While I admit that this has been a very impressive display, I gave everyone a day off for a reason," came a familiar voice. Sakura felt her face heating up, and it wasn't from exertion as the blond Hokage approached.

Sakura quickly straightened up, turning to face Naruto with a smile and giving a slight bow, along with her sparring partners, Itachi, Neji, Tsunade, Kakashi and Tenzō.

"Good morning, Hokage-sama," they all said in near perfect unison. Naruto's eyes narrowed, focusing on Sakura, who felt her blush getting deeper. He turned his eyes to the others.

"Get out of here," he said, shaking his head, voice sounding exasperated. There were mixed chuckles before all left. Neji stayed an extra moment, placing a hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"Remember what I said," he whispered before disappearing as well, leaving Sakura alone with the most powerful man in the world. The rosette looked to the blond, and her blush deepened further as he smiled at her, holding out a hand.

"Shall we, Sakura-chan?" he asked softly.

"Y-yes… Naruto-kun," said Sakura with equal softness, laying her hand in his.

* * *

Elsewhere, at about the same time, a young woman's eyes slowly lifted open.

But were any to see these eyes, with their solid black sclera, dark violet irises, glowing blue cross-slit pupils and blood red pattern spiraling away from it, they would have screamed in terror.

The last woman of the Demon's Blood clan had awoken from her slumber.

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, this is an interesting development. We get a bit more on the past from Neji, who openly admits that he plans to shape Sakura into a Sage Ninja, as well as play matchmaker for her and Naruto, and right to Sakura's face, no less! Also, some concerning information on our mysterious "returned from the dead" kunoichi, Tenmachi Shion, as well as the approaching Fourth Great Shinobi World War. Fun.**

**However, there are definitely some good things coming from all this. First, the civilian council is dealt with. Yay. Second, Danz****ō**** has decided to sit down, shut up and STAY THE HELL OUT OF NARUTO'S BUSINESS!!! Third, the power of Konoha's people is on the rise. Fourth, Sakura manages to facedown not one, not two, but _five_ of Konoha's best, and she does pretty good for herself. At an estimate, it has now been about three or four months since Sakura arrived in Konoha, and she and Naruto have only encountered each other a few times, yet each time, neither can deny this apparently baseless attraction between them, yet Neji sees right through all of it without effort.**

******This chapter was a lot of fun to work with. And I also have a little announcement that will likely please many of my readers: I will, one day, write a prequel to this story, detailing Naruto's rise to the position of Rokudaime Hokage. We'll get to meet Shiori. We'll witness Naruto's battle with Gaara. We'll learn the precise circumstances surrounding the defection of four Akatsuki agents to Konoha.**

******And we'll witness a forgotten tie between our favorite couple.**

******Well, in any event, everyone, please leave a review. I'll see you all later.**

******Oh, and, before I forget again: Happy New Year. Welcome to 2010.  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Gomen! Gomen, gomen, gomen, gomen, GOMEN! I know apologies aren't enough for taking so long, but I had some difficulty with certain sections of this chapter (well, and I've been focusing on other stuff). Still, this is finally here, and, well… I'll let you read and find out for yourself. Just two things to note:**

**First off, with all the recent revelations of the manga, all but one or two of my stories is pretty complete on the alternate history prior to the Kyuubi attack. Not a concern here, but worth mentioning.**

**Second, something to note about Japanese honorifics for those who don't know: each one has a different use. "-san", the most common, basically means "Mr." "Mrs." or "Miss" and is used even in situations where it's pretty much unheard of in other languages/cultures. Second is that "-kun" and "-chan" are used to denote endearment, particularly towards boys and girls, respectively, but not exclusively. The latter is sometimes used between lovers. "-sama" roughly translates as "lord". Enough said. "-dono" is a step above. Likewise.**

**Most important, though, and what some of you may not be aware of (even if you know all the others) is the significance of no honorifics. It comes in two forms: if someone hasn't earned the "right" to speak without them, it can be very insulting and extremely disrespectful. But if someone _has_ earned that right, it's about as endearing as it can get, and this generally only happens between individuals who are extremely close. To my knowledge, it's most common with lovers and family, but even there, you don't always see it (more so the latter than the former, where it's more common). Something to keep in mind.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the associated characters. I own _all_ OCs in this story.  
**

* * *

Darkness seemed to ripple across the demonic eyes as they shifted, taking in the area around them. The creature knew this place. But that was wrong—it shouldn't be here. And what had happened to the fire in which it burned and suffered?

The eyes drifted closed as a barrier of emptiness formed around the figure lying on the hospital bed, and the creature that had once been Tenmachi Shion began to gather its strength, an endless mantra rising again to the surface of its mind:

_From the abyss of the human heart shall the greatest demons be born._

**

* * *

**

As Jiraiya had said, everyone was taking what opportunity they could to relax. Walking down the street, Sakura shifted uncomfortably, feeling the eyes directed towards her. Naruto, walking at her side, suppressed a sigh, wondering if he should call an ANBU squad, but quickly discarding the notion, knowing the ANBU would never be able to deal with even the civilian fangirls currently following him and Sakura.

If there was one still-truly good memory involving Sasuke, it was the Uchiha's laughing comment that not even god could control fangirls (this was in the wake of his fangirls turning their affections to Naruto). Naruto really wished the Uchiha had been lying to him about that.

Fortunately, there was one thing Naruto knew about that could deal with them. Keeping that in mind, he steered the rosette towards the Yamanaka Flower Shop.

"Ino's place?" questioned Sakura. Naruto smirked lightly.

"If there's one way to deal with annoying fangirls, it's to recruit an intelligent one," he replied. "And as fangirls go, I've never met one as intelligent or reasonable as Ino."

The very fangirl they were talking about was already watching the two walk down the streets towards her home, and she let out the faintest of sighs.

The young woman was completely, totally and irrevocably in love with the Hokage. For her, he was 'the one'—she'd sell her soul for his sake. It wasn't some schoolgirl crush, like it had been with Sasuke, like it was for many of Naruto's fangirls. With Sasuke, for a fangirl, doing everything you could think of to gain the attention of the person you'd directed your affections towards became everything.

But when you were in love, you were ready to die, ready to sell your soul, ready to do anything for the one you loved, not because you wanted them to notice you, but because you wanted to do this for their sakes, for their happiness, regardless of your own happiness, your own pain, your own sorrow.

Being in love meant being able to give up on the one you loved for the sake of their happiness.

Ino sighed.

"Maybe I'm just a sucker for unrequited love," she whispered softly. _But… if she really… if she and Naruto-kun really do fall in love… I'll do whatever I can support it._

Ino's sad smile soon morphed into a wicked grin.

_Starting with all those fangirls._

**

* * *

**

"Neji-niichan… what are you planning?" asked Hyūga Hinata, eyeing her cousin curiously. Neji didn't answer immediately, instead continuing to watch the birds that flew through the sky above the Hyūga Compound.

"I believe it is time for a new generation of legends to step forward," he finally answered after several moments. "Do you remember the story of the Guardian Eagle?"

"Of course," said Hinata without hesitation. Neji spoke of a simple children's tale about a pair of wounded animals and a majestic bird that watched over them, brought them together, bound them to one another to protect them, and finally guided their souls into the afterlife. The underlying theme of the story was that love and the will to protect, represented by the eagle, could overcome any barrier or hardship.

Hinata's pupilless eyes narrowed at her cousin.

"Are you interfering?"

Neji smirked. "Blatantly, Hinata-sama."

"So you're trying to be analogous to the eagle?" questioned Hinata, fuming slightly, though what, exactly, it was over she couldn't be completely certain of. "That's not like you."

"Perhaps," conceded Neji. "But I'm not the only one. Shizune-san knows and supports it. As does Ayame-sama, and I suspect Ino-san as well."

"Naruto-kun will kill you when he finds out."

"It'll be worth it."

"… Has Lee-kun and Gai-sensei's insanity finally infected you?"

**

* * *

**

"Welcome to Yamanaka Flower Shop, Hokage-sama, Sakura-chan!" said Ino cheerfully when the two stepped inside. "We have roses, camellia, wolf's bane and services for clearing up annoying stalkers!"

Sakura looked at Ino like she was crazy, while Naruto chuckled lightly.

"That last one, please, Ino-chan," said Naruto. Ino smiled brilliantly.

"Of course, Hokage-sama!"

Ino bowed and was starting to walk past Naruto when the Hokage's hand caught her by the arm.

"Thanks," he said. Ino's expression softened.

"You're welcome… Naruto," she said softly before breaking free and walking out of the shop. Naruto sighed—it had been a long time since she'd called him by name, at least, in his presence. He knew how much this was probably hurting her, yet, in spite of that, she was willing to endure it.

"So… what now?" asked Sakura. Naruto shook his head, giving her a faint smile.

"Now, my dear, I take you out to lunch," he said brightly.

"Ramen?" she questioned, tilting her head slightly.

"Actually, a little place called the Nekome Café," said Naruto evenly. "It's owned by the Adachi Clan, run by one of the youngest members of the main house—she's actually younger than we are."

"Oh? Tell me more," said Sakura, voice just as even as Naruto's as he led her back out of the flower shop and down the streets of Konoha. There was something he wasn't telling her…

"Her name's Sakura," said Naruto, lips twitching as he fought back a grin. The Sakura next to him froze, eyes widening, and sputtered slightly before leveling an accusing finger his way.

"You! Taking me there is a joke, isn't it?" she said. Passersby gave them a slight glance, a few glared at Sakura, but hid it well, and the rest just shook their heads as Naruto chuckled.

"A bit," he admitted. "But honestly, it's a rather remarkable place. One of my preferences, actually, but I haven't taken you there because it's just not the same without the actual owner there, and she only got back recently." Sakura just stared. "Well, shall we?" He smiled warmly at her and Sakura fought down a blush; she succeeded, but only barely. It wasn't like she'd gotten much 'practice' before coming to the village, since Naruto was the only person to elicit that reaction from her since she was twelve.

"Sure," she said, keeping her tone even. "Lead the way, Naruto-san." The Hokage raised an eyebrow.

"Pick something and stick with it," he said, which actually did draw a blush from her. He grinned. "Follow me." With that, he turned and walked down the street, Sakura following in his wake.

**

* * *

**

The Adachi Clan was one of Konoha's most minor clans. That wasn't to say that they didn't produce some powerful ninja, but the clan was fairly small, and while their ninja were occasionally brilliant, it generally wasn't anything too far out of the ordinary.

Instead, the Adachi Clan was better known for the fact that, ninety percent of the time, members of the clan were homosexual, and bisexual for the remaining ten. It led to a rather strange clan structure most did not want to get into, and also a certain amount of weariness from other clans. They weren't necessarily homophobic (well, the old Uchiha were an exception, but the new Uchiha Patriarch himself had declared them a bunch of pretentious bastards), but many heterosexual men and women (curiously, more so the former than the latter, probably something to do with sexual pride) were uncomfortable when a member of the same sex was clearly attracted to them.

Perhaps this was the reason that the Adachi Clan had treated Naruto with such neutrality when he was young. Regardless of the reason, the youngest of the Clan's Princesses, Adachi Sakura, had become a good friend of Naruto as a result of their action-based treatment of him. They'd drifted apart more than a little over the years, and the reason could be traced to Sakura's new fiancée.

Although not a career ninja by any measure, Sakura _was_ a reserve kunoichi who often slipped under most radars, even Naruto's, because she'd become a kunoichi solely for the privilege of freely leaving the village, which many members of the Adachi Clan preferred, and they often engaged in relationships with civilians from outside the village, who became members of the Adachi Clan upon marriage (one Fire Lord had objected to same-sex marriage—the Shodai Hokage promptly shut down that line of thought). Sakura, despite her proper career being the Nekome Café, had been absent for some time, leaving the place in the hands of her equally competent father.

It was only with the recent recall order that Sakura had come back, but no one had even noticed outside of her immediate family. Naruto only found out when she approached him to congratulate him on finally making Hokage (much to his relief, she referred to him by name) and to request his blessing (and official approval, something she couldn't be without for this) for engagement to a woman from outside the village. Naruto had granted it, and his brunette friend had left the village again, returning only yesterday with her new fiancée.

This was, however, a painful thing for Naruto, because Adachi Sakura was easily the strongest ninja in her clan—she was a full Jōnin already, despite being two years younger than Naruto, and a master of Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Taijutsu and Kenjutsu. She was moderate at Medical Ninjutsu (and sometimes helped out at the hospital as a result) and was training in Fūinjutsu. If she'd actually _cared_ for being a ninja, she could've easily been a member of Naruto's elite guard, or even the Hokage herself. That was, if she'd actually cared about it.

"Ah, Naruto, you're here!" called the sapphire-eyed brunette when she heard him enter. She came up short, though, raising a curious eyebrow at the sight of the rosette at Naruto's side. Sakura studied the girl who shared her name with just as much curiosity.

Adachi was of average height, with sparkling sapphire eyes that seemed to shift between light and deep as she moved. She had short, light brown hair, and the sort of body Sakura had come to realize was average for kunoichi—that is to say, the young teenager was actually fairly attractive, though in comparison to some of the kunoichi Sakura had met…

"Ah, you must be Haruno-san," said Adachi, smiling brightly. "I've heard a lot about you. Tsk, tsk." She waved her finger in a scolding motion. "Trying to bring down Naruto… were you drinking that night?" Sakura blushed in embarrassment as Adachi easily reminded her of how casually the Hokage had beaten her. Naruto just chuckled.

"A table, Sakura?" he said. Sakura's head briefly snapped to look at the Hokage before she realized he was referring to the _other_ Sakura.

"Of course, Naruto, Haruno-san, take your pick, it's been… 'slow', today," said Adachi, still smiling brightly.

"Hmm, over there then," said Naruto. "Come on, Sakura-chan."

In spite of herself, Sakura sighed slightly in relief as she followed him—it wouldn't be _that_ hard to tell which of them he was referring too. He hadn't told her anything about his relationship with the girl, but he was obviously close, _very close_, to Adachi. The brunette in question came over and laid out two menus for them.

"It's been awhile since Naruto visited, so everything's on the house today, alright, Haruno-san?" said Adachi with a smile.

"Ah, no, I couldn't possibly…" started Sakura, but Naruto interrupted her.

"Don't worry about the price of anything," he said. "Get whatever you want, Sakura-chan." Adachi raised an eyebrow at that. "And Sakura… I _will_ be paying you for this."

"Oh, come on! My fiancée has enough money to buy out the Fire Lord, I'm not strapped for cash here," said Adachi, rolling her eyes.

"Speaking of, when am I gonna get to meet this fabulous girl of yours?" asked Naruto lightly. Sakura sputtered.

"Girl?" she exclaimed, surprised. Adachi glanced at her curiously before her eyes lit up with understanding.

"Ah, Naruto didn't explain it to you?" she asked, straightening up and posing proudly. "I, Adachi Sakura, am proud to proclaim myself one hundred percent bisexual. Which is actually kind of funny, since that really amounts to being some percentage lesbian and some percentage straight."

Sakura simply stared at the brunette as Naruto burst out laughing. Adachi grinned at her.

"Well, look it over, like I said, everything's on the house, I insist," she said before bowing and walking away. Sakura looked back at Naruto, who proceeded to explain the odd quirk of the Adachi Clan.

When he was done, Sakura found herself shaking her head. "I've walked into a nuthouse."

"Sounds like a pretty good description to me," replied Naruto, grinning. "And I wouldn't have it any other way. Being normal is boring."

**

* * *

**

No one had detected it. It had fooled the outside world perfectly. The creature flexed its muscles, noting them to be as strong as always. Its senses were sharper than ever, and it could smell human scents by the thousands, distinguish all of them, and recognize many.

But the creature's unholy rampage, as it was wont to do, was belayed by curiosity. Because something _was_ wrong: where was the fire? What had happened to the burning pain that had been the hallmark of its very existence? The pain that had made coherent thought effectively impossible?

The creature considered, monstrous eyes shifting about. What had happened? Could it think clearly enough to realize what had led it here?

The fire was gone, and its thoughts were clear for the first time in its existence. And so, that creature sat, legs folded beneath its body at an awkward angle that it felt comfortable with.

And the creature thought.

**

* * *

**

Ino's maniacal cackling seemed to echo through practically the whole village as the platinum blonde kunoichi sent Naruto's fangirls running for the hills. And was it really so surprising that she could do this? After all, Ino _was_ one of the Konoha Eight (Ten if you still counted Naruto and Shikamaru), and none of the kunoichi who were actually stronger than the formidable Yamanaka counted themselves among the young Hokage's fangirls.

… which was probably just as well, since if Ino _had_ needed help, there was plenty to be found and, well, it just would've been overkill. Not that most who'd been on the receiving end of fangirls would even believe there was such a thing where ridding the… 'demons'… was concerned. Fangirlism was like some kind of disease that could turn even competent kunoichi into quasi-worthless bimbos, and it was perfectly infuriating for many of those who weren't 'infected'—because it repurposed the worth of those girls to blasting anything between them and the object of their fangirling, and when they weren't at each other's throats, each girl was like some kind of super force multiplier for the entire group.

Needless to say, it got ridiculous fast. Fortunately, fangirls seemingly forgot the unwritten rules of 'evade the fangirls' while they were affected by such, so they could generally be dealt with.

More genuinely serious fangirls who could be better described as girls in love, such as Ino, did not forget the 'evade the fangirls' rules—they _exploited_ them, and were generally above the usual rules for fangirls, to the point the definition was more jokingly applied than anything else. But, since one rule said the only way to beat a fangirl was _with_ a fangirl and the 'girls in love' were able to beat down fangirls with ease, they could also be better described as 'good fangirls'. This was, of course, the reason Naruto had gone to Ino to deal with his stalkers.

"Alright, that seems to be the last of them," said Ino brightly, stretching her arms out over her head as the last stalker she'd caught sulked back home under the effects of one of the myriad mind-affecting jutsu in the Yamanaka arsenal. "Well, seeing as the shop's closed down and daddy can't actually reprimand me for it, I think I'll pay a visit to Hinata."

With that, Ino started down the streets at a leisurely pace, unaware of just _what_ was waiting for her.

**

* * *

**

"This _isn't_ a café," said Sakura, staring at the meal Adachi had put in front of her. "It's some kind of dressed down 5-star restaurant."

Both Naruto and Adachi laughed lightly at Sakura's comment. Strictly speaking, it _was_ a café… but Adachi tended to splice 'restaurant' into it on occasion, usually because a member of the Akimichi Clan 'main house' (as opposed to branch house, such as the five-person Ichiraku family).

"I still don't get _what_, exactly, this… 'spaghetti'… is," continued Sakura, poking the pile of noodles covered in tomato sauce and cheese that lay in front of her.

"It's a dish from a western country," said Adachi. "Far enough west that they don't even have ninja. The teachings of the Rikudō Sennin actually haven't spread past the mountains out that way." Sakura's eyes widened.

"You've been _over_ the Ōkiishōgai Mountains?" she exclaimed. Adachi just smiled serenely.

"Enough on that," said Naruto. "Enjoy the meal, Sakura-chan. Itadakimasu." With that, Naruto began his own meal, another one Sakura had never even heard of before.

Somewhat reluctantly (and with a bit of instruction from Adachi), Sakura stirred the spaghetti together and took a somewhat clumsy bite (she'd never used these utensils before!).

Almost immediately, Sakura's eyes widened.

"W-wow," she murmured after swallowing. Adachi's smile seemed to grow just a bit brighter. "This is amazing!"

"Good," said Adachi. "Now, I'll leave you two alone." With that, the young woman bowed before turning and walking away. Naruto smiled.

"This is a bit much for lunch I know, but…" The Hokage trailed off, glancing out the window suddenly. Sakura followed his gaze and her eyes widened.

Dark clouds were forming over Konoha. The speed was so quick that it could only be artificial—that much was obvious even without being able to sense the enormous amount of chakra being used as the clouds blocked out the sun.

Then, an enormous explosion of chakra swept through the entire village.

"Damn!" cursed Naruto, jumping to his feet. Sakura likewise leapt to her feet, while Adachi rushed back out from the kitchen.

"That came from the hospital!" exclaimed Adachi, superior senses pinpointing it instantly. Naruto's eyes widened, and he rushed from the café.

**

* * *

**

An entire wing of Konoha's hospital had been reduced to rubble, and rescue crews were already at work digging out those who'd been buried. Fortunately, it was the long-term care wing; so not many had been in there, with only one patient present in the oft-deserted wing.

Still, it was a horrific sight that Naruto, Sakura and Adachi came upon as rain started to fall from the dark clouds overhead.

"What happened?" demanded Naruto, walking up to Sasori, who was overseeing the rescue efforts, helping out with some of his more harmless puppets (well… as harmless as his puppets ever actually _got_).

"We're not sure," said Sasori, teeth grit as he uncovered another nurse for the rescue crews. "That chakra wave came out with no warning and destroyed this entire thing."

Naruto turned his attention to the rubble, stretching out his senses into the rubble, searching for someone, _anyone_…

That was when he felt her, and his gut went cold.

Without any hesitation, Naruto vanished from where he'd been standing, appearing atop a pile of rubble with five clones, all digging frantically.

"Hokage-sama?" questioned Sasori, surprised. Adachi's eyes widened.

"Ino's under there!" she cried. The puppet master's eyes widened along with Sakura's as Naruto finished clearing away the rubble with a few carefully controlled Ninjutsu.

"Ino!" cried Naruto, pulling the blonde gently from the rubble into his arms. The kunoichi groaned in pain.

"N-Naruto…-kun?" she murmured weakly.

"Ino…" whispered Naruto, cradling her and heading back down the rubble at a gentle pace, his clones moving to help with finding others. "Don't worry, it'll be alright." The blonde nodded, eyes drifting shut. Adachi and Sakura rushed forward. "How bad is it?" he asked when they were close. Adachi looked Ino over with a critical eye, placing her suddenly glowing-hand on the blonde's chest. She sighed in relief.

"She's just bruised," said the brunette. "It's nothing serious."

"There's only been one major injury so far," added Tsunade as Naruto arrived where she'd set up the medical futons and laid Ino on one. "He's already been taken to the hospital's main wing for proper treatment. I can deal with the rest of this pretty easily." Naruto nodded, standing up and turning to Yahiko, eyes asking a question. The other shinobi shook his head.

"I don't know what caused this rain," he said, turning his attention skyward. Naruto idly noted that he was actually repelling the rain from the injured while a canopy was setup.

"Hokage-sama!" called a shinobi working in the rubble. "We found Nurse Misono! Damn, he's in bad shape." Immediately, Naruto and Tsunade rushed to where the shinobi was and found Kago Misono, a long-time nurse, lying horribly injured amidst a mix of large and small rubble.

"H-Hokage-s-sama," coughed Misono.

"Shut up you idiot," said Tsunade, leaning down next to him as the rest of the rubble was removed, examining him with her medical Ninjutsu. "You shouldn't even be alive in your state."

"N-not… important," coughed the nurse, staring at Naruto. "H-Hokage… sama…" His voice seemed to get stronger as he spoke, struggling with his next words. Naruto leaned down to hear him better.

"T-this… it was…" Another cough. "Tenmachi…" Naruto and Tsunade's eyes widened. "She was… like…" He coughed again. "She looked like the Kyūbi…" With that, life left Misono's body.

* * *

**Author's Notes: ^_^ Fluff, more history and an immortal crazy enough to make Hidan look sane and powerful enough that "it" evoked images of the Kyuubi in Misono's mind. So much fun. ^_^**

**I really wasn't certain how to handle a lot of it. But this bit with Shion has been planned since I first concieved the character. Those of you looking for _real_ action****… come next chapter, you'll be getting it. Aside from the end of this story, this'll probably be the only time major action is shown. Let's not waste too much time on it.**

**And yes, that stuff on honorifics at the top _was_ because of Adachi Sakura. She and Naruto don't use honorifics with each other (she doesn't even use his title). That should tell you just how close those two are. Which is funny, since they never had _any_ feelings for each other. Still, that'll be an easy way of telling which of the two Sakuras Naruto is referring to by whether or not he uses "-chan" at the end of her name.**

**Alright, enough of that. I hope you all enjoyed, please leave a review****… and sadly, do not be overly expectant on the next chapter. Ultimately, this is one where, when I get to it, I get to it.  
**


	8. Official Hiatus

This is awkward…

I really hate to be doing this, but at present, this story is on a permanent hiatus because I'm a little too busy to 'spread out' for it.

Another thing is that I want to shorten the overall story, and to help with that, and a few other things, I need to go back and revise a good chunk of the story. A fair bit of the early moments, such as the presence of so many former Akatsuki members, was influenced by other fanfics on this site and perhaps a bit too much 'draco in leather pants'.

My basic intent is to keep this fic short, at least compared to what I usually do. A near total revision of numerous preceding chapters is also in order, and I'm gonna remove several arcs planned for the story, as well as the setup I'd included for them.

I advise you not to review this 'chapter' except anonymously (or, better, send a PM if you want), at least, if you want to review the real chapter nine when it comes out.

Just to warn you about some of the things I intend to remove:

Pretty much the whole conflict in the story; no fourth war, no continuing battle with Akatsuki or Orochimaru. All arcs involving them are to be removed entirely.

The arcs that remain are, the Naruto x Sakura roots of the story (of course), the conflict with Sasuke, and the story around Tenmachi Shion.


End file.
